Public
Education on
Lead in
Drinking Water
Introduction
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and Brunswick County Public Utilities Department are concerned about lead
in your drinking water. Although most homes have very low levels of lead in
their drinking water, some homes constructed prior to 1987 have lead
levels above the EPA action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb), or 0.015
milligrams of lead per liter of water (mg/L).
Under Federal law we are required to have a program
in place to minimize lead in your drinking water. This program has been in
place for over 12 years and includes corrosion control treatment, source water
treatment, and public education.
If you have any questions about how we are carrying
out the requirements of the lead regulation, please give us a call:
Northwest
Water Treatment Plant
(910)
371-3490
Highway
211 Water Treatment Plant
(910)
253-5797
Brunswick Public Utilities
Administration
(910)
253-2657
Health
Effects of Lead
Lead is a common metal found throughout the
environment in lead-based paint; air; soil; household dust; food; certain types
of pottery, porcelain, pewter; and water. Lead can pose a significant risk to
your health if too much of it enters your body. Lead builds up in the body
over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells, and
kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children and pregnant women. Amounts
of lead that won’t hurt adults can slow down normal mental and physical
development of growing bodies. In addition, a child at play often comes into
contact with sources of lead contamination—like dirt and dust—that rarely
affect an adult. It is important to wash children’s hands and toys often and
to try to make sure they only put food in their mouths.
Lead in Drinking
Water
Lead in drinking water, although rarely the sole
cause of lead poisoning, can significantly increase a person’s total lead
exposure, particularly the exposure of infants who drink baby formulas and
concentrated juices that are mixed with water. The EPA estimates that drinking
water can make up 20% or more of a person’s total exposure to lead.
Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants
in that it seldom occurs naturally in water supplies like rivers and lakes.
Lead enters drinking water primarily as a result of the corrosion, or wearing
away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and
household plumbing. These materials include lead-based solder used to join
copper pipe, brass and chrome-plated brass faucets, and in some cases, pipes
made of lead that connect your house to the water main (service lines). In
1986, Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead
and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes, and other plumbing materials
to 8.0%.
When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems
containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may dissolve into your
drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning,
or later in the afternoon after returning from work or school, can contain
fairly high levels of lead.
Steps
You Can Take in the Home to
Reduce
Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
} Despite our best efforts
mentioned earlier to control water corrosivity and remove lead from the water
supply, lead levels in some homes or buildings can be high. To find out
whether you need to take action in your own home, have your drinking water
tested to determine if it contains excessive concentrations of lead. Testing
the water is essential because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking
water. Some local laboratories that can provide this service are listed at the
end of this publication. For more information on having your water tested,
call:
Northwest
Water Treatment Plant
(910)
371-3490
Highway
211 Water Treatment Plant
(910)
253-5797
Brunswick Public Utilities
Administration
(910)
253-2657
} If a water test
indicates that the drinking water drawn from a tap in your home contains lead
above 15 ppb, then you should take the following precautions:
1. Let
the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the
water in a faucet has gone unused for more than 6 hours. The longer water
resides in your home’s plumbing the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the
cold water faucet until the water gets noticeable colder, usually about 15-30
seconds (approximately ½ gallon). If your house has a lead service line to the
water main, you may have to flush the water for a longer time, perhaps one
minute (approximately 1 gallon) before drinking.
Although toilet flushing or
showering flushes water through a portion of your home’s plumbing system, you
still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking.
Flushing tap water is a simple and
inexpensive measure you can take to protect your family’s health. It usually
uses less than two gallons per day (considering two flushes per day with two
faucets at approximately ½ gallon per flush) of water and costs less than $0.25
per month.
To conserve water, fill a
couple of bottles for drinking water after flushing the tap, and whenever
possible use the first flush water to wash the dishes or water the plants.
If you live in a high-rise
building, letting the water flow before using it may not work to lessen your
risk from lead. The plumbing systems have more, and sometimes larger, pipes
than smaller buildings. Ask your landlord for help in locating the source of
the lead and for advice on reducing the lead level.
2. Try
not to cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve
more lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from
the cold tap and heat it on the stove.
3. Remove
loose lead solder and debris from the plumbing materials installed in newly
constructed homes, or homes in which the plumbing has recently been replaced,
by removing the faucet strainers from all taps and running the water 3-5
minutes. Thereafter, periodically remove the strainers and flush out any
debris that has accumulated over time.
4. If
your copper pipes are joined with lead solder that has been installed illegally
since it was banned in 1986, notify the plumber who did the work and
request that he or she replace the lead solder with lead-free solder. Lead
solder looks dull gray and when scratched with a key looks shiny. In addition,
notify your State Division of Environmental Health, Public Water Supply
Section, at (919) 733-2321 about the violation.
5. Determine
whether or not the service line that connects your home or apartment to the
water main is made of lead. The best way to determine if your service line is
made of lead is by either hiring a licensed plumber to inspect the line or by
contacting the plumbing contractor who installed the line. You can identify
the plumbing contractor by checking the county, town, or city board’s record of
building/plumbing permits that should be maintained in the files of the agency
that was responsible for issuing building/plumbing permits for your residence
(town, city, or county). A licensed plumber can check to see if your home’s
plumbing contains lead solder, lead pipes, or pipe fittings that contain lead.
The public water system that delivers water to your home should also maintain
records of the materials located in the distribution system.
If
the service line that connects your dwelling to the water main contributes more
than 15 ppb to drinking water, we are required to replace the portion of the
line we own. If the line is only partially owned by the Brunswick County
Public Utilities Department, we are required to provide the owner of the
privately owned portion of the line with information on how to replace the
privately owned portion of the service line and offer to replace that portion
of the line at the owner’s expense. If we replace only the portion of the line
that we own, we also are required to notify you in advance and provide you with
information on the steps you can take to minimize exposure to any temporary
increase in lead levels that may result from the partial replacement, to take a
follow-up sample at our expense from the line within 72 hours after the partial
replacement, and to mail or otherwise provide you with the results of that
sample within three business days of receiving the results. Acceptable
replacement alternatives include copper, steel, iron, and plastic pipes.
6. Have
an electrician check your wiring. If ground wires from the electrical system
are attached to your pipes, corrosion may be greater. Check with a licensed
electrician or your local electrical code (town, city, or county responsible
for issuance of electrical permits) to determine if your wiring can be grounded
elsewhere. DO NOT attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper
grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.
} The steps described
above will reduce the lead concentrations in your drinking water. However, if
a water test indicates that the drinking water coming from your tap contains
lead concentrations in excess of 15 ppb after flushing or after we have
completed our actions to minimize lead levels, then you may want to take the
following additional measures:
1. Purchase
or lease a home treatment device. Home treatment devices are limited in that
each unit treats only the water that flows from the faucet to which it is
connected, and all of the devices require periodic maintenance and
replacement. Devices such as reverse osmosis systems or distillers can
effectively remove lead from your drinking water. Some activated carbon
filters may reduce lead levels at the tap; however, all lead reduction claims
should be investigated. Be sure to check the actual performance of a specific home
treatment devise before and after installing the unit.
2. Purchase
bottled water for drinking and cooking.
} You can consult a
variety of sources for additional information. Your family health care
provider or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with
information about health effects of lead. State and local government agencies
that can be contacted include:
§ Brunswick County Public Utilities
Customer Service can provide you with information about your community’s
water supply:
(910)
253-2655
§ Brunswick County Public Utilities
Administration can provide you with information about your community’s
water supply: (910) 253-2657
§ Brunswick County Central Permitting
or your local permitting agency can provide you with information about building
permit records that should contain the names of plumbing contractors who
plumbed your home:
(910)
253-2055
§ Brunswick County Health Department
can provide you with information about the health effects of lead and how you
can have your child’s blood tested: (910) 253-2260
The following is a list of some state-approved
laboratories in the area that you can call to have your water tested for lead:
Element
One, Inc.
(910)
793-0128
Environmental
Chemist, Inc. (Envirochem)
(910) 392-0223
Oxford Laboratories
(910) 763-9793
For
other laboratories in the Brunswick County area look in the Yellow
Pages under
“Laboratories” or access the listing of certified laboratories at
Laboratory Link.
Be sure to confirm that the laboratory you contact
is certified by the State of North Carolina to test for lead in drinking water.