Watersafe Drinking Water Test Kit for Lead (Single)

Product Information

The lab test results are presented in mg/l Pb (milligram/litre). The UK maximum contaminant level for Lead in tap water set by DWI/DEFRA is 10µg/l (= 0.01mg/l = 0.01ppm) – so the test results can easily be compared with the maximum contaminant guidelines.

unpainted lead pipes are a dull grey colour and relatively soft compared to other metals (e.g., copper) but show the shiny metal beneath when scraped gently; tapping a lead pipe with a metal object produces a dull 'thud' rather than a clear ringing. 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. It is important to recognize all the ways a child can be exposed to lead. Children are exposed to lead in paint, dust, soil, air, and food, as well as drinking water. If the level of lead in a child's blood is at or above the CDC action level of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter, it may be due to lead exposures from a combination of sources. EPA estimates that drinking water can make up 20 percent or more of a person’s total exposure to lead. Infants who consume mostly mixed formula can receive 40 percent to 60 percent of their exposure to lead from drinking water. Children 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.If you own a well, test for chemicals, including VOCs (volatile organic compounds) if you become aware of a local chemical spill. If your home has lead pipes there are short-term measures you can take to reduce the amount of lead in your water. Run the tap to remove water that has been standing in the pipes for long periods, for example, overnight, or if no one has run the taps for several hours. Draw off a washing-up bowlful of water from the kitchen tap once or twice to clear the water which has been standing. This doesn’t need to be wasted, but can be used to water plants or the garden. 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. 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.”

Using dropper, place water sample into test tube. Swirl vial gently for one minute. Place on a flat surface. Tool kits for different sectors with resources to create your own campaign to get others to use Protect Your Tap: Community Groups Always run the tap before making up bottle feeds for infants. Ensure that the cold kitchen tap is fed directly from the water main. Since the 1960s we’ve been aware that lead can have a detrimental impact on human health in all sorts of different ways. Children are particularly affected by lead poisoning as they absorb more of the metal into their bodies than adults. What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?For example, if high levels of bacteria have been found in the water, the advice might be to use UV light to kill off the bugs, or add a suitable, DWI approved disinfectant to the water supply to kill them that way. For drinking water supplies the installation of new lead pipes and the use of lead solder to join pipes has been banned in the UK for more than 25 years. However, it is still possible to buy lead solder and cases of high lead in drinking water are still being recorded following its use by DIY enthusiasts or unqualified plumbers who are unaware of the danger. There are strict standards for the quality of drinking water within Europe mainly laid down in the EU Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC). These are based on advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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. Mains pipes were generally never made from lead as they were ceramic or iron, but lead was very popular for domestic use as it is relatively soft and was easily moulded into shape. Don’t consume water which has been sitting in the pipe for a while, ie. overnight. Let the water run until it becomes as cold as it can get, one washing up bowl is usually enough. This should be done for every tap – a shower will not flush your kitchen tap. Flushing is important because the longer water is exposed to lead pipes or solder, the more lead it is likely to contain. As of January 1, 2014, all newly installed water faucets, fixtures, pipes and fittings must meet new lead-free requirements, which reduces the amount of lead allowed to 0.25%. But that doesn’t apply to existing fixtures, such as what is found in many older homes and public water suppliers. Two optional upgrades –If you want to test for even more contaminants in your city water, like volatile organic compounds and disinfection byproducts, you can choose to upgrade to the Advanced City Water Test (testing for 109 analytes) or the Extended City Water Test (testing for 118 analytes).Local government: Local authorities should have a program for lead testing to ensure that the public water systems comply with EPA regulations. So Billy opened his home (and his taps) to three tests. These are the collection bottles that New York City sends out. We’ve blurred out the potentially identifying information. Kendra Pierre-Louis Our results Factsheet: A Consumer Tool for Identifying Point of Use (POU) Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce Lead (PDF) Do not mix more than one sample per bottle; please ensure one sample bottle is used per sample outlet. However, because lead contamination of drinking water often results from corrosion of the plumbing materials belonging to water system customers, EPA established a treatment technique rather than an MCL for lead. A treatment technique is an enforceable procedure or level of technological performance which water systems must follow to ensure control of a contaminant.