Watersafe Drinking Water Test Kit for Lead (Single)

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Modern service pipes (made up of the communication and supply pipes that bring water into your property) are made of blue polyethylene. Lead service pipes were phased out and made illegal 50 years ago. Some properties built before 1970 may still have lead pipes in them, or connecting to the water mains, but properties built after 1970 are unlikely to. Watersafe Water Lead Test Kit ( single or double ): tests the presence of lead in water. This test will give a positive result if lead is measured above 15ppb* (parts per billion) (or the equivalent of one drop in a large swimming pool). *15ppb = 15µg/l = 0.015ppm (= 0.015mg/l). Many experts suggest that parents get their child’s lead level tested at ages 1 and 2, and possibly more often, depending on the area of the country. The test is easily done by a pediatrician, or at a local state, county or city department of health. Most NYC locals claim to guzzle some of the best water in the country. To hear them talk, you would think the city’s soft water begins in a mythical land known as “upstate,” where it’s filtered through pristine forests and a unicorn’s mane before it descends onto the city, via a canal of pure angelic light, to create the best bagels, pizza, and drinking water known to human kind.

Lead can be found in air, food, soil and water. High levels of lead in drinking water can be caused by a range of sources: These standards ensure that the water flowing through the mains distribution system is up to scratch at all times. If you are living or working in a property with a private water supply, testing the supply might be something you do on a regular basis. Usually lead enters drinking water because of the corrosion, a reaction between the water and the lead pipe or solder. A low pH and a low mineral content in water are common causes for corrosion. Water is considered to be hard if it has a high mineral content such as salts containing calcium and magnesium. When you have a well, you don’t even have a water quality report to go off, and it’s entirely your responsibility to test your well’s water lead levels.While homes built before 1986 are the most likely to have lead plumbing, it can be found in newer homes as well. Until two years ago, the legal limit for “lead-free” pipes was up to 8% lead. Test for sulfate, chloride, iron, manganese, hardness or corrosion every three years. If you notice any taste or odor issues, test immediately. Learn how to identify lead-free certification marks on drinking water system and plumbing products (PDF) First off, if you don’t know whether you’re dealing with any amount of lead in your water, one option is to use an at-home DIY water testing kit. Test kits are cheap to buy and widely available online. Got a question about water testing? Try our complete list of Free Water Testing Resources. Here are the most frequently read guides :

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. In homes with lead pipes that connect the home to the water main, also known as lead services lines, these pipes are typically the most significant source of lead in the water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes built before 1986. Among homes without lead service lines, the most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and plumbing with lead solder. Educating the public about lead in drinking water and actions consumers can take to reduce their exposure to lead.If water testing identifies that lead is contaminating your water and is present at higher than the prescribed limits, you should take prompt action to replace the pipes. Symptoms of lead poisoning can include nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fatigue and developmental delay. These are all symptoms which can be associated with other health conditions, so don’t leap to the conclusion that your family or work colleagues are being poisoned by lead if a few of these symptoms start to occur. A less common cause of lead in drinking water is the illegal use of lead-based solder to join sections of copper pipe. Lead solder is still permitted for use in closed central heating systems and mistakes occasionally happen whereby unqualified plumbers or householders use lead solder on drinking water pipes. Older brass fittings can also be a source of lead. the chemistry of the water (acidity and alkalinity) and the types and amounts of minerals in the water, When these pipes corrode, lead enters the water flowing through them. A number of factors can affect the likelihood of lead corrosion, including how acid or alkaline your water is (the more acid, the more corrosion), how much lead your water is exposed to and the length of exposure time, how much wear the pipes have experienced, and the temperature of the water (the higher the temperature, the higher the corrosion rate).

Children, especially fetuses and infants are the most vulnerable, says the Environmental Protection Agency, because it takes very little lead exposure to damage a child compared with an adult. Low levels of lead exposure are linked to damage to a child’s blood cells and nervous system, as well as learning disabilities, poor hearing, impaired growth and more. In fact, the EPA calls lead poisoning the “number one environmental health threat in the U.S. for children ages 6 and younger.” However, once the water leaves the mains supply and enters a private residence or commercial building, the pipes, storage tanks, local distribution systems and other factors can start to affect the quality of the water. So, what we seek to do is not just test for those regulated contaminants, but go a little bit further and test for pharmaceutical compounds,” says Pujol. “We test for unregulated but potentially dangerous compounds that are on the contaminate candidate list. These are contaminants which the EPA is looking at, but it’s going to take them 10 years to come to any decision.”A family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide information about the health effects of lead. State, city or county departments of health can also provide information about how you can have your child's blood tested for lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that public health actions be initiated when the level of lead in a child’s blood is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or more. Find Out if Lead in Drinking Water is an Issue in Your Child's School or Child Care Facility Other common drinking water contaminants are corrosion by-products, most often caused by copper corrosion or cast iron pipes rusting and leaching iron particles into the water supply. People often use Colorimetric Test kits, which you can conveniently get from hardware or home improvement stores. You dip the strip into water, compare it with a colour chart, and have a result. However, these results are only not as accurate as the above methods. Detects 52 contaminants and parameters –All the most common well contaminants are tested by the Tap Score Essential Well Water Test, including lead, hydrogen sulfide, heavy metals, and coliform bacteria.