Right around the time we announced that we were expecting there were a number of friends and family members who also revealed that they had a bun in the oven… and people always joked that there must be something in the water. The ironic thing is that ever since that bad joke popped up a few dozen times many months ago I’ve been wondering: what IS in my tap water anyway? Then I recently caught the end of a Dr. Oz show where he was talking about lead in your water- and when he mentioned that pregnant & nursing women need to be careful when drinking from pipes in older homes which could have lead (a very bad neurotoxin for developing babies) I practically spit the water that I was drinking out all over myself. Eeks! It was definitely time to get to the bottom of the whole what’s-in-the-water mystery.
We had thought about the possibility of lead paint during our bathroom reno (you can read about a bunch of protective just-in-case methods that we used here) and even checked an old thrift store chair for lead after we decided to use it for our nursery (read about how we did that simple lead test here) but I can’t believe I never stopped to think that our home’s original plumbing might have more than just water running through it on a daily basis.
The good news is that after further research I learned from the EPA that “the age of your home is a major contributing factor. Older homes with plumbing installed prior to 1930 are likely to have lead pipes. In addition, plumbing with copper pipes installed before 1988 may contain lead solder. Today lead pipes and materials are prohibited from being used in plumbing that leads to drinking water taps.”
That’s comforting to hear since our house is a product of the 50’s and has galvanized steel piping (as opposed to lead or copper ones). But your home’s pipes are only half the battle. Did you know that lead can actually be present in trace amounts in your city’s water? Not the most comforting thought. Doctor Oz actually urged his audience to call their local jurisdiction and request a copy of their annual water quality report. Being the paranoid mother hen that I am, I was on the phone before Dr. Oz finished his sentence. For any locals wondering exactly who I contacted, I called the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services at 804.648.4480 and later talked to Gigi Meyers at 804.864.7491 to help me decipher my results.
No matter where you live, a few calls to your city council or any other office (just google around for the main number) should hopefully direct you to the right department (I was bounced around about ten times before getting the right person, so it felt like a mini victory just to find someone who knew what I was talking about in the end). I may have had to work for it a little, but it was well worth the effort and the piece of mind. A few days later my official water analysis arrived in the mail and although I couldn’t understand a smidge of it (lots of greater than and less than symbols with abbreviations like PMCL and SMCL), calling Gigi Meyers at the lab for help interpreting the data finally put my mind at ease. So once you receive your report you might want to call the number on that report to get someone to help you descipher your results.
The fabulous news is that our county’s water met or exceeded all EPA guidelines, so although it may possibly possess trace amounts of a bunch of scary chemicals (arsenic! lead! mercury!) they were all well below the limits that are known to be dangerous (basically Gigi explained that they couldn’t definitively say zero for any category so they select a range like “less than .002 PPM” which is super minute amount and possibly zero). Whew.
Plus we can’t forget that we installed an under-sink water filter a while back, which “reduces sediments, chlorine tastes, and odors” just like a Brita pitcher would (it’s also NSF and ANSI certified to be super safe and free of phthalates and other leeching hazards). I guess we were doing more things right than we realized (although we can hardly take credit for our house being “new” enough to avoid lead piping and our county being lucky enough to have water that exceeds all of the safety standards set in place by the EPA).
The lesson: if you fear that there’s something in the water at your house, there’s lots you can do. There are kits you can buy at any home improvement store to test your water for lead. You can also install a filtration system to further cut down on unwelcome toxins. And of course you can call your county to get information and make a stink if your water doesn’t meet the standards that it should (the county is obligated to send you an honest report, but the shocking thing is that it’s just mandatory that they tell you what’s in the water, and not necessarily mandated that they do anything immediately to rectify any high levels of anything – apparently budget issues and review boards can take years for any clean-up efforts to take effect). So that means if you see anything on your results that don’t sound good it’s definitely worth writing to people and even starting a local petition to educate and empower everyone in the community and hopefully get your tap water cleaned up quickly!
Oh and if you’re looking for more information, the Environmental Working Group recently put together a nationwide database of drinking water test results where you can go to look into the water rankings in your area (the New York Times even asked to use it in a series about what’s wrong with America’s drinking water, so it’s a trusted source for this sort of info). The good news is that they found that “when the Environmental Protection Agency sets mandatory water quality standards, the tests show that local water suppliers meet them 92 percent of the time.” Plus they ranked all the big cities for water safety so you can see where your area falls among the spectrum from best to worst (Richmond actually made the top 11- wahoo!). The bad news? They still think “standards need to be tougher to protect young children and pregnant women.” We’re glad they’re fighting the good fight and providing lots of enlightening info along the way.
We also learned a few more simple “rules of thumb” that should be used in protecting your family from contaminated tap water (as listed here):
- Flush your pipes before use. Prior to using water for cooking or drinking, run the tap water until it becomes as cold as it will get.*
- Use only cold water for drinking & cooking – hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead.
- Inspect your plumbing system to detect lead. Lead pipes and solder are dull gray, when scratched they will look shiny.
- Test your water with a lead detection product, such as PRO-LAB’s Lead in Water Test Kit, that utilizes U.S. EPA recognized laboratories. If your lead test comes back positive, the best way to handle the problem is to determine the source and remove it.
*The worst part of the tips above was the whole “flush your pipes” since we hate watching wasted water literally go down the drain. We have found that whenever we feel the need to flush our pipes (if we’ve been away on a vacation for a week or so) we use a big basin to catch the water we’re “flushing” and then use it for everything from watering the plants to washing the car and even doing other household cleaning like windows/floors, etc.
So that’s what we learned in our little foray into what I like to call “find out what the heck we’re ingesting on a daily basis.” These days I’m chugging water like nobody’s business (nursing will do that to ya) so you’ll have to excuse me for getting all Erin Brockovich on you. We just thought our witch water hunt might help anyone else out there who squints at their glass and wonders what the heck is in there. And now we know… sort of.
Of course we’d love to know what you guys do to keep your water as pure as possible. Do you use filters or check out your annual water report? Do tell.
Ashli M says
Very informative! I’m going to grab a test kit and test our water. Could you let us know what filtration system you use? We’ve been researching options but there are a million out there! one filter or two? too many questions?
~Ashli
http://www.maillardvillemanor.com
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ashli,
Just follow the link in the post to that info. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ashli M says
Thanks so much, I didn’t even notice the link. I should have known you two smarties would have a link!!
thanks again!
Alison says
Thanks for the informative post! On a side note, how do you like the Delta touch faucet? We just got one for our kitchen.
YoungHouseLove says
We love it! Our only complaint is that we’re so spoiled now- we find ourselves tapping faucets at other people’s houses! We’re dorks.
xo,
s
Lindsay says
As for the only cook with cold water thing — The previous owners of my house put in an extra small water heater thing (I have NO IDEA what it’s actually called) under the kitchen sink. It has a tiny (maybe about a gallon or so?) tank and takes in cold water, heats it way up, and stores just that tiny amount of super hot water. Then I use that for cooking (there’s an extra “hot water only” spout on my kitchen sink). I have always been under the impression that this saves me from the issue with hot water (since it doesn’t go through any of our house’s plumbing), but I guess I really should check it out someday with a water test kit.
Karla @ {The Classy Woman} says
Great necessary info as usual! :) Our city utility company mails us a copy every year and it turns out that Orlando water is quite clean. We use a brita filter though to filter out the nasty chlorine taste and odor. Our water admittedly is heavily chlorinated. I can smell it on my skin after a shower. I’m going to be adding a carbon filtration system to my showerhead which is better for your skin and hair, it will eliminate the chlorine.
One day I hope to buy an in-home filtration system. A friend just bought one for their home and it was $7K!! They are planning to live there for the next 10 years or so, it was a good investment for them. The good news is that you can apparently take the system with you, so you don’t lose your investment. She has the cleanest water-love drinking a glass at her place! It tastes fresh like reverse-osmosis filtered water.
flyingbird says
We’re on a well, and once a year we do a bacterial analysis (which is only about $20) and every few years get a full testing done (which includes things like lead, iron, arsenic, etc.). It was also hard for me to find a company who did the range of testing–I think they aren’t used to homeowners wanting the full range of analysis done. It is expensive, it costs a few hundred dollars, but we consider a necessary part of maintaining our personal “water utility” (and with pregnancy/small children we don’t like to have our water in question!). Plus we’re just data geeks and are fascinated to see the science report…we’d do it every year if we could afford it!
Jess-The Semi Abnormal Gal says
I’m reading J. Grishman’s “The Appeal” right now, which is about a lawsuit against a chemical company for toxic dumping and contaminating an entire counties water source. So fitting!
SG says
For the City & County of Honolulu (where I live) our annual water reports are available online. You enter your street address and get a pdf report for your area. Very cool! Might be worth other readers checking local water board websites in their areas too.
In case any other readers are on Oahu here’s ours: http://www.hbws.org (Water Reports are available under the Water Quality Tab)
Our water is pretty good, but it’s almost all chlorinated. I’ve heard about the dangers of chlorine, particularly inhaling chlorine vapors in the shower. I’m currently researching showerheads that will filter out chlorine just to be safe.
Heather says
Sherry,
THANK YOU for posting this! We recently had a home inspection of our 1900 farm house to begin to prioritize our “to do” list. Also, with an 8 month old we need to budget. The scariest thing that came from the whole process, after the inspector drew my attention to the risk of lead exposure in our house, was finding out my daughter’s lead level was 18! After a blood test (poor baby), the level is actually 12, but that is still high. This is not the level that causes brain damage, but if the risk is prolonged it can do damage. I talk with the lead specialist at my Health Dept. and they said nothing about lead pipes! I am going down to the basement right after I post this to check our pipes! Lead is so scary and it really makes me regret buying an old home. I think I have a busy weekend ahead of me. Thank you again! All the best, Heather
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck with everything Heather! We’re so glad to hear that your daughter is still doing well!
xo,
s
kirsten says
this was really informative, thanks Sherry!!
Jennifer H. says
We’ve lived in a 1960s house in a major city for 1 year, but we’re also on a well. I’ve wanted to test the water but haven’t done it yet, but since we’re hoping for a pregnancy soon, this may be my impetus! My only hesitation is that we’ll likely be moving in the next year. I think I’m afraid of what may be in the water and since we rent the house from family, I’m not sure what would happen with the results. I really should get some testing done! Thanks to the commenter who mentioned a $20 test for bacteria.
Hilary @ Bee's Bungalow says
We rehabbed our first house, built in 1882 about 3 years ago. The first thing our contractor did was rip out the lead piping and replace it with a copper/pimex system.
The water source in our city is very secure, and in fact is rated in the top 10 best municipal water systems in the country. I drink from our tap, no worries. Lead in the soil is a bigger concern to me- Southwest Ohio is very industrial. Before planting my garden, I tested various “zones” of soil in my yard- 4 zones total. 3 zones passed, one zone failed. I ended up using raised beds just to be safe.
Ashlee says
Whoa Whoa Whoa…What’s wrong with Carmex???
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nothing specifically! I just mentioned that I love Dr Bronner’s lip balm (it’s organic and vegetable based, which is good news since I probably swallow a tube a month since I lick my lips so much).
xo,
s
Amanda @ from parris with love says
Whoa. This just helps me justify my refusal to drink anything that didn’t come from a bottle, I know bad. But I can’t help it. We have icky well water at our house and I know there is lead in our pipes (thanks to the soldering on the copper.) Bah Humbug. At least you guys are covered.
We have filter like that but it’s not under our sink it’s in out basement on the pipe that leads to all three of our sinks. :)
elizabeth says
Have you all heard about a Berkey water filter? They are kind of pricey buy you can filter out a huge amount of water at once. I am saving up for one.
YoungHouseLove says
We haven’t heard of it but we’ll definitely check it out!
xo,
s
Design Love says
Very informative! We need to be aware of these things!
Great post
Cindy
SJ says
Testing water for metal leachables like lead and arsenic is great, but one thing that I do for my own water is use an activated carbon filter (like a Brita). Activated carbon filters out not just inorganic contaminates, but also small organic molecule contaminates as well. That means I don’t have to worry about drinking aspirin, estrogen, ibuprofen, and other drug compounds that tend to get into our drinking water.
Stacey says
I’m in Henrico County and every year that the county puts out their water report they put some in the local libraries. So next year when you check the water report for your county check the library.
allisen says
The water report from your municipality will tell you very little about the quality of water coming from your tap. Those tests are for the water at the source, not after it runs through miles of water pipes to arrive at your faucet. Our municipality water reports look great, but our lead levels from the tap were 2x the recommended limit. We had our water line replaced, and the city has a policy of replacing the feeder line (which was also lead) anytime a homeowner replaces their section. Call your water company and see if they’ll test your tap water – some will. Ours refused so we had a private company run the test for us.
Also, just to be clear, Brita-type filters do not remove lead.
Angie says
Great post! Our house is 102 years old, and so we’ve been very concerned about lead pipes leaching into the water. We gutted and redid the house 3 years ago, and replaced all the pipes, except the underground pipes coming from the well house to the house. However, we have had at least 3 water tests on our well water done by our health dept, and before getting pregnant with our son, I went to the health dept and got a lead screening done on me. Our pediatrician also does lead screenings on all the kiddos every 6 months or so, because we are ‘high risk’ because of the age of our house. Great information you provided!
Lauren says
Our home is not old (built in 2001 I think), but we had a Rainsoft system installed when we moved in. It was a bit pricey (about $5,000), but with all the money we have saved with cleaning products (they provided us with about 10 years worth of shampoo, hand soap, laundry detergent, window cleaner, and multi-use cleaner) and wear/tear on our water using appliances, I think it has evened out. On top of the “whole house” filtration system, we also had a drinking water filter installed in our kitchen sink. The difference is a matter of night and day! I would never go back to tap water! I would highly recommend it.
Kelly says
love the shot of the water!
http://www.kellyloves.wordpress.com
Eryn says
This is so scary! I am pregnant and just checked the water for Houston, Texas and it is ranked horribly and contains lead. Awesome. Does not surprise me. Only drinking bottled water from now on!!!!
kim says
Amanda from Paris:
Be carefule about your bottled water too! From the EWG:
“To the contrary, our tests strongly indicate that the purity of bottled water cannot be trusted. Given the industry’s refusal to make available data to support their claims of superiority, consumer confidence in the purity of bottled water is simply not justified.”
http://www.ewg.org/ourwater/bottled-water
megan m says
I always love this subject since I’m an environmental engineer. Municipalities are legally required to mail letters to all residents if they exceed EPA levels once a year until the issue is resolved. My sister’s town’s water tests higher than allowed for radium (which is common in the midwest), so she refuses to drink the water, but odd as it is, the amount of radium exposure you’d receive drinking the recommended amount of water with slightly exceeded level in one year is approximately the same as taking 2 cross country flights. Limiting any exposure to radium is recommended, but I always find this little stat humorous, as people freak out over exceeded a government regulation, but have no properly taking business trips every other week.
My other grip is bottled water. THERE ARE ABSOULTELY NO REGULATIONS ON WHAT IS IN BOTTLED WATER, so in most cases you are safer drinking what comes out of your tap. If you have a private well, I’d highly recommend getting your water tested on a regular basis, but if you get city water there really is no reason to worry, unless you are worried about lead from the pipes.
Sara says
I HAVE to know what kind of countertop this is! I’m about to re-do mine and I want exactly what this is. LOVE IT! You guys are amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Pashmina granite by Stonemark through Home Depot. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
CJ says
You guys read my mind tonight….SO freaky! I had just been thinking that I needed to call about our town water tomorrow, and I had no clue where to start! Although our issue is a bit different…we’ve been finding an unusual amount of what seems to be black mold coming out of all the bathroom faucets on our 2nd floor. And recently, black chunks of this so-called mold fell onto my toothbrush while rinsing under the faucet, right before I put it in my mouth! Yuck! It’s really nasty and I know I’m not Mrs. Clean, but I definitely scrub that tub and sink as much as any other bathroom that I’ve ever had before, and this is the first time I’ve ever had this problem. We’ve been living in our condo for 3 years and the problem has definitely gotten worse. Thanks so much for your tips- it gives me a good place to start and all the info was very helpful. We had copper pipes too – it was built in 1980. Who knows??? ugh. Wishing you guys all the best!!!!
Sherrie says
My husband attended a workshop regarding the updated EPA regs on installing windows and doors on older homes. The info on lead was quite frightening. (And the regs are equally as frightening as they will put a small business outta bi’ness.)
However, it did give us some perspective when we asked our midwife about the dangers to our baby if my husband is exposed to lead paint, and she said she had similar concerns after her hubs and she stripped the walls of their old farmhouse of the layers of lead paint. But after being tested at the health department, they were A-OK. Not sure the measurements and tests one takes, but her point was that you pretty much need to chomp on the lead chips and absorb a lot into your body for it to debilitate.
At the workshop, my husband learned that there was also lead in the gasoline way back when, also. So since we live relatively close to a highway, the sediment around us contains lead as well. No mudpies for our little boy. :)
I think copper pipes are the best pipes one can use. Granted, not fused together with lead.
Marie NElson says
I live in an area of Central Florida that is notorious for poor water quality. For nearly 10 years I’ve received quarterly statements from my water company informing us how they are NOT meeting EPA standards. They further advise those with kidney related ailments to drink bottled water. The best part of this… we pay some of the highest rates in the entire United States for such unsafe drinking water. Fortunately, my husband and I don’t have kidney problems but only drink bottled water to be on the safe side. We are in the process of installing a water softener/filtration system but will still continue to drink bottled water. I can’t stress enough how important it is to check your water reports. We are fortunate in that they company is required to send us these statements because the water quality is so poor.
Ecochic says
Just like Megan, a couple comments above, I am also a strong proponent of tap water. I understand what Sherry and John were doing in regards to bringing attention to old pipes and possible heavy metal issues, but the thought of the possibility of people’s tap water containing these things is enough to drive them towards drinking more bottled water. Here is a link to why I really hope no one will. Bottled water is unregulated, and rarely tested. So how do we know that it’s any better than the really unlikely chance of our home water being contaminated with trace levels of metals. As a few people have said already, most municipalities are required and must test your water if you believe there to be any issue. If there is an issue, and your are ok with bottled, then in that case it would be alright to drink bottled. But if there isn’t an issue, and your water is fine, please do not perpetuate the issue of contaminating other people’s waters by buying plastic bottled water.
Sorry for the soapboxing. I’ll come down now.
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
lifeologia says
We’ve had Reverse Osmosis filter installed about 8 years ago – I will not touch tap water or bottled water, for that matter, at all!
We also have a water softener throughout the home, it’s great for removing/ preventing corrosion in the pipes, the dishwasher, the washing machine work better and clean better. Soap lathers so well with it so you use less soap and shampoo. Best of all, we never get dry skin!
It’s a beautiful thing. Do you guys have a water softener as well?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lifeologia,
We don’t have a water softener but luckily the water in our area isn’t particularly hard!
xo,
s