Lead in Drinking Water Information:

Properties:

Lead is a very common heavy metal that has historically been used in a wide variety of products and manufacturing processes. When dissolved in water, lead cannot be detected by taste, odour, or appearance. In nature, lead is more likely to exist in ores rather than its free ionic form; common ores include galena (PbS), anglesite (PbSO4), cerussite (PbCO3) and minum (Pb3O4).1 Lead in its elemental form is soft, metallic, malleable, and dull grey in colour.

Sources:

In the past, lead was used in all sorts of products including paint, petrol, and even water pipes. Today, one of the largest sources of lead in drinking water is the corrosion of lead pipes. The softness of water, pH, and temperature are all factors that influence the amount of lead that can leach into drinking supplies.2 Industrial manufacturing and anthropogenic activity such as coal and oil burning also have the potential to release lead into the environment and into drinking water sources. Lead-containing ores may also leach the heavy metal into water, but natural sources are less likely than anthropogenic ones to cause exceedances of recommended limits.

Regulations:

The limit for lead in drinking water is 10 micrograms per litre (µg/L).  

Health/Environmental Concerns:

Lead is dangerous because it has the potential to impact every system in the body. Even with low exposure levels, it persists in the body and can accumulate over long periods of time.3 Lead poses a risk to central nervous system functioning, bone formation, kidney health, and red blood cell production.4 In addition, it is a potential carcinogen.

Action:

Lead pipes can cause elevated concentrations of lead in drinking water, and if you suspect an exceedance has occurred, contact your Water Services Authority right away. Water can be treated with coagulants or lime to reduce lead concentration if necessary; however, it is better if the lead pipes are replaced.4 If drinking water makes you ill, contact a doctor right away.

1 JLab Science Education: The Element Lead, 2019. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility managed by the U.S. Department of Energy. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele082.html (accessed Dec 19, 2019).

2 Guide to the Parameters in the European Communities. What’s in your water?; S. I. No. 278 of 2007; National Federation of Group Water Schemes: Ireland.

3 Toxicological Profile for Lead; Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Atlanta, GA, 2006. 

 4 Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. Lead in Drinking Water; Vol. 2; World Health Organisation: Switzerland, 1996.