Plumbing A Big Concern In New York City

Protecting You and Your Family from Lead
The New York State Health Department, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are concerned about lead in your drinking water. Although most New York City homes have very low levels of lead in their drinking water, some homes in the community have lead levels above the action level of 15 parts per billion, or 0.015 milligrams of lead per liter of water. Under the State Sanitary Code, New York City has had a program in place to minimize lead in your drinking water since 1992. This program includes corrosion control treatment and public education. The City is also required to replace any lead service line it controls if the line contributes lead concentrations of more than 15 parts per billion. If you have any questions about how we are carrying out the requirements of the lead regulation please call 311. The following information explains the simple steps you can take to protect you and your family by reducing your exposure to lead in drinking water.

Health effects of lead
Lead is a common metal found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, air, soil, household dust, food, and 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 New York City, the primary source of childhood lead poisoning is lead dust from peeling and chipping leaded paint. Also, 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 childrens’ hands and toys often, and try to make sure they only put food into their mouths.

Although rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, lead in drinking water 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. It is estimated that drinking water can make up to 20 percent or more of a person's total exposure to lead.

Lead in your plumbing system
Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants in that it seldom occurs naturally in rivers and lakes, and the water that comes out of the City's upstate reservoirs is virtually lead-free. Lead enters drinking water primarily because 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 pipes, brass and chrome plated brass faucets, and, at times, 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 percent lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials to 8.0 percent.

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 high levels of lead.