Lead, Straight from the Tap

A Reader Writes The Green Guide:

Hi, I am in the market for both kitchen and bath faucets and I noticed a vendor (from Taiwan) had indicated that a faucet was made of solid brass and contained "low lead levels." This surprised me because I had never imagined kitchen and bath faucets might contain lead. Is this common and is it unsafe? Also, how would you determine if any faucet you buy might have lead if the manufacturer/vendor does not indicate that it does?

Van Batra,
Brookline, MA

The Green Guide Responds:

Lead is commonly used in household plumbing and water service lines, but it may be a surprise to learn that our taps can include up to 8 percent lead, a level legally considered "lead-free" according to EPA spokesman Dale Kemery. Lead in fixtures, especially those made of brass or chrome-plated brass, can leach into drinking water in significant levels, particularly into hot water. So it is best to assume, unless a manufacturer can assure otherwise (see products below), that faucets and taps contain the metal.

Without a doubt, lead in drinking water is a health hazard, especially to young children and pregnant women. Children exposed to lead above the national legal limit (15 parts per billion) can suffer from problems with mental development in addition to learning disabilities and aggressive behavior. But there is no safe lower level of exposure, as Bruce Lanphear, M.D., M.P.H., director of Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center told The Green Guide, (see "Is There Lead in My Chocolate?"). In adults, high blood-lead levels can also result in higher blood pressure, kidney problems and heart disease. That said, the greatest threat to children for exposures remains lead in paint chips and dust in older homes and apartments.

When it comes to the pipes in your home, Kemery says homes built before 1986 are more likely to have leaded plumbing fixtures, although newer homes are not completely free of risk. However, it's fairly easy to inspect pipes for lead. "Lead is a dull, gray metal that is soft enough to be easily scratched with a house key," Kemery says. For existing pipes and faucets, lead-testing kits are available, ranging from free to approximately $15 (see Resources below).

What to Look For

"When purchasing a fixture, you should make sure that the product is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) or Underwriters Laboratory (UL) for lead," Kemery says. Fixtures must meet the NSF requirement for leaching lead at levels no more than 11 parts per billion (ppb). Check for the NSF/ANSI 61 Section 9 stamp on packaging to ensure that this standard, effective since 1998, was adhered to. A searchable list of certified manufacturers is available at www.nsf.org/Certified/PwsComponents/ (search product category for "mechanical plumbing devices").

For additional security, you may also filter your water with a NSF-certified carbon filter to remove lead (see "Three Simple Steps to Clean, Safe Drinking Water".

In the Pipeline

For new fixtures, Kemery says some manufacturers are now developing true lead-free components, though they aren't yet ready for the market. More promising still, California has passed a state-level standard that will reduce the current 8 percent lead level to .25 percent in pipes and plumbing fixtures as of 2010. East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD), the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are encouraging the NSF to develop plumbing fixture tests for the new standards, according to EBMUD lobbyist Randy Kanouse.

Meanwhile, the move to get the lead out is spreading. "We have heard some New England states and cities are following suit," Kanouse says. "There is now federal legislation that would ultimately reduce the lead in faucet to .2 percent." And those looking for faucets made with non-lead brass will find models available from Federalloy and Envirobrass (see Products below).

Products

Federalloy (www.federalmetal.com/fedalloy; 440-232-8700)

Envirobrass (www.envirobrass.com; 303-296-0508)

Resources

For more information on lead in drinking water:
EPA's Safewater Web, www.epa.gov/safewater/lead/index.html

Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800-426-4791.