Worried about lead pipes? Here’s what to do.

Dec 15, 20245 min read

Water pipes are among the main sources of childhood lead exposure. Identifying and replacing these hidden hazards can be a challenge.

December 14, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. ESTYesterday at 6:30 a.m. EST

By Amudalat Ajasa

Although lead pipes were banned decades ago, millions of homes still contain them. In fact, lead from water service lines remains one of the leading causes of childhood lead poisoning.

Lead is a hazardous neurotoxin and even low-level exposure can cause permanent cognitive damage, especially in children. Thousands of children each year suffer from disorders caused by lead exposure, which also comes from dust and soil.

There is no safe level of exposure to lead, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead exposure causes developmental delays, difficulty learning and behavioral problems. Lead exposure also poses a significant risk for adults.

In most cases, drinking water isn’t contaminated before it travels through water service lines. Lead seeps into drinking water through corroding, flaking pipes that carry water into the home.

“We know that lead pipes leach into drinking water. You’re basically drinking through a lead straw when you have a lead service line,” said Valerie Baron, a senior attorney at the advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council.

Dealing with lead pipes can be confusing and potentially expensive. Here’s what you need to know.

How to check if you have lead pipes

There are several ways people can figure out if their water comes through lead service lines. The Environmental Protection Agency has a comprehensive interactive guide and many cities have created interactive maps with water service line information. The EPA has asked water utilities to provide a complete inventory of all service lines, yet not all utilities have completed their inventory, with many reporting that water lines are made from unknown materials.

Here are some steps you can take if you suspect you have lead pipes.

Check with your utility. Your first step is to ask your utility whether the pipes servicing your home are made of lead. If you’re a homeowner, you can find the utility’s contact information on your water bill. If you’re a renter, ask your landlord or property manager for the information.

Lead pipes are more common in older cities, especially across the Northeast and Midwest, such as New York, Chicago and Cleveland. If the water utility says that the pipes are unknown, there are still ways to figure out which pipes you have.

Consider the year your home was built. Congress banned the installation of lead pipes in 1986, and some communities phased them out even earlier. If your home was built after the federal ban, you can be pretty confident that there aren’t any lead service lines. Older homes that were renovated after 1986 might still have lead piping, depending on whether the plumbing was updated.

Check the service line that brings water into your house. Most of the service line is underground, except for a small accessible segment that runs to the meter or the main shutoff valve. Meters can be found in basements, crawl spaces and garages. Some meters are outside on the sidewalk or in the yard under a metal cap.

Examine the pipe that runs into the meter from the wall or the floor. Plastic pipes are generally easy to identify, and they can be a variety of colors such as white, black, blue or green.

Gently scratch metal pipes with a coin or key. If you have a magnet, you can also see if it sticks. A soft pipe, particularly if the scratched area appears silver and shiny, indicates lead. Another sign of lead is a curved pipe with a bulb near the shutoff valve, like a snake that has swallowed an egg.

A cross-section of an original lead, residential water service line, left, and the replacement copper line, right, outside a home where service was getting upgraded. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Copper has a distinctive color, though it can also be reddish brown, orange or green. If the pipe is hard to scratch and a magnet sticks, it could be galvanized steel. Some galvanized steel pipes were lined with lead, so more testing may be necessary.

Even if the pipe coming into your home is safe, there could still be lead pipes in other parts of the house or in other plumbing fixtures. So if you have an older home, testing your water is a good idea.

Testing for lead

Since you can’t see, taste or smell lead in drinking water, there’s no substitute for a test.

Ask your utility to test your water. The utility will either conduct the test themselves or send you a water-testing kit. You can also collect water samples yourself and send them to a state-certified laboratory. The EPA’s website provides information on finding a state-certified laboratory in your area.

Still water is best. The best time to test your water is first thing in the morning, after the water has been sitting in the pipes for a long time, and to take samples from a kitchen or bathroom sink. Keep in mind that lead levels can fluctuate from test to test because of physical disturbances like traffic and construction, so it’s recommended to take a number of samples.

Replacing your lead pipes

If you’ve determined or suspect that you have lead pipes, you’ll want to move quickly to get them replaced and protect your family from further exposure.

Reach out to your water utility, licensed plumbers or your city government to figure out what lead pipe replacement programs are available in your area.

Find out about rebates and subsidies. In many communities, utilities will provide lead pipe replacements free or at a reduced rate. Plumbing upgrades can cost thousands of dollars, but the Biden administration allocated more than $17 billion for lead pipe replacements, so be sure to find out if you qualify for assistance.

Reducing your exposure to lead

While you wait for your lead pipes to be replaced, it’s important to reduce the threat from lead exposure, especially in homes with small children.

Flush your pipes. Before using water to drink or cook, you should flush out any lead that could have settled in the pipes by running water from the shower or another high volume tap. Some health departments suggest letting the water run for three to five minutes before use.

Install a filter that’s certified to remove lead. Use only cold water with a filter because warm water can reduce its effectiveness.

Avoid boiling your water. Hot water dissolves lead more quickly, so in general use only cold water for drinking and cooking. Boiling water will not remove lead and could even increase lead concentrations.

Clean your faucet’s aerator. The aerator is the little mesh screen at the end of a faucet. Remove the aerator, which can collect sediment and lead, and rinse out any debris.

What to do after you replace lead pipes

Keep on flushing. It’s a good idea to continue flushing your pipes after the lead replacement to remove any remaining lead.

Elin Betanzo, the president and founder of Safe Water Engineering, a public interest water consulting firm, recommended removing any aerators and flushing your household plumbing.

Start with the tap closest to the service line.
Then move throughout your house, opening all the taps, allowing the water to run and wash out any particulates that could have collected throughout the home.
Finally, turn off all the taps in the same order, beginning with the closet tap and ending with the farthest.

Flush, filter and repeat. Filter water for six months after your lead pipe replacement and continue to routinely clean your aerator.

“Water picks up everything that it touches so when water is traveling through a lead pipe, lead will get into the water,” Betanzo said. “Getting rid of the lead is the only way to prevent it from getting into the water.”