Lead in water, especially in Ontario, has been a hot ticket item for a long time. Since a high concentration of lead was found in the drinking water of a London Ontario home a few years ago, the Ontario government has instituted an aggressive new lead regulation aimed at municipalities, requiring them to take a sampling of lead in the older homes in their cities.

But where does lead come from? Simply, lead comes from lead. Lead water lines, plumbing solder with lead in it, lead fittings, gaskets, and even from old brass fixtures that have lead in them.

Large amounts of lead exposure over a long period of time can be toxic to human health, but it is especially detrimental to the old, the very young, and pregnant woman.  The elimination of lead in gasoline, paint, etc. has vastly reduced the amount of lead exposure to people in recent years.  However, if you are in an older home you could still be exposed to lead in your drinking water due to the old plumbing and fixtures. So how do you reduce or eliminate lead from your drinking water if this is the case?

Change your plumbing.

It’s as simple as that.  By ripping out all the plumbing in your house and replacing it with new materials, you eliminate all possibilities of lead contamination. This is the most expensive way, and there are other ways of dealing with lead.

Filter it out.

Both reverse osmosis and certain carbon filters will reduce or eliminate any lead in your drinking water, and can be easily obtained from water supply or hardware stores.

Run your water.

In order to contaminate water, your water needs to be in contact with lead for a prolonged period of time.  Exactly how long and how much lead you get in your water depends on the corrosiveness of your water, among other factors. However, the time is measured in hours, not minutes and seconds. The easiest, cheapest and fastest way to ensure there is no lead is to simply flush your tap for a few minutes when water hasn’t been used in a long time.

There is another way to deal with lead. There has been some discussion on epoxy coating the interior of your pipes. Personally, I think this is probably not a good option considering the filtration and flushing options.

Lead in your drinking water is a contaminant of concern.  If you do suspect lead in your pipes, it is easily and cheaply dealt with, as we have seen.

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