Frequently Asked Questions about Lead

Denver Water has not detected lead in their treated water or source water. However, lead can come from the customer's plumbing. According to the EPA, two types of homes may be at risk for lead contamination:

• Homes that are very old (pre-WWII) with lead services or lead pipe, and
• Homes that were built between 1982 and 1987, which used copper pipe with lead-based solder. Lead-based solder was banned from use on domestic drinking water plumbing in 1987.

Here are some ways to reduce your exposure to lead if you think it's present in your tap water:

• When water has been standing in your pipes, run the cold-water tap until it gets noticeably colder. The lower temperature indicates you have cleared water that has been standing in pipes. (To conserve water, remember to catch the flushed tap water for plants or some other household use.)
• Use only water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking and, especially, for making baby formula. Hot tap water dissolves lead faster and is likely to contain higher levels of lead if present. 
• Insist on lead-free solder and lead-free fixtures when repairing or replacing plumbing.

Lead isn't in water that leaves our treatment plants. However, it might occur in your home's plumbing. Lead levels in your drinking water are likely to be higher if:

• Your home has faucets or fittings made of brass that contain some lead;
• Your home or water system has lead pipes; 
• Your home has copper pipes and the house was built from 1982-87.

If your interior plumbing fits one of these categories, you have an increased risk if you have a water softener or water often sits in pipes for several hours.

Lead is a toxic metal that is harmful to human health if inhaled or swallowed. It is a health concern in drinking water at levels above 15 parts in a billion. (One part per billion is equivalent to a single drop of water in 55,000 gallons.) Although it must build up in the body before it affects one's health, elevated levels attack the brain, kidneys, nervous system and red blood cells. The degree of harm depends upon the level of exposure from all sources, including soil, wind and water. Effects range from subtle physical changes at low levels to severe neurological and toxic effects or even death at extremely high levels.

Children six and under, infants and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a big effect on a small body. A child's mental and physical development can be irreversibly stunted by overexposure to lead. You can guard against lead in baby formula by using only fresh water from the cold-water tap.

Tap water containing lead is estimated to account for only 10 to 20 percent of young children's total exposure to lead. Some more common ways to ingest or inhale lead: It might be present in processed foods, paint (usually the number one cause), auto exhausts, cigarette smoke, blowing dust (especially along highways), household keys, pottery and ceramics.

Soft water (water that makes soap suds easily) can be more corrosive and therefore might dissolve higher levels of lead. Some home treatment devices, such as water softeners, also can make water more corrosive. Because of the mineral content of Denver's water, a coating commonly builds up inside pipes and plumbing fixtures over a period of years, protecting any material containing lead from corrosion. That's why likelihood of lead in tap water diminishes greatly as a house grows older and why many older homes with lead plumbing don't have high lead levels.

Lead is a softer metal than iron and scratches easily. Try scratching the pipe with a key or screwdriver. Lead pipe will be dull gray in color, but the scratch marks will appear bright silver. Solders and flux are considered lead-free when they contain no more than .2 percent lead. In the past, solder normally contained about 50 percent lead. Pipes and fittings are considered lead free when they contain no more than eight percent lead.