You may be in contact with lead through paint, water, dust, soil, food, hobbies, or your job. Visit Common Sources of Lead to learn how to reduce your contact with lead from sources other than your drinking water.
Lead can get in your drinking water as it passes through the plumbing in your house or when it sits in lead pipes for a while. Read below to learn how to protect yourself from lead in your drinking water.
- Let the water run for at least 1 minute before using it for drinking or cooking if the water has not been turned on in over six hours. If you have a lead service line connecting your home to city water, you may need to let the water run 3 – 5 minutes.
- Use cold water for drinking, making food, and making baby formula. Hot water releases more lead from pipes than cold water.
- Test your water. In most cases, letting the water run and using cold water for drinking and cooking should keep lead levels low in your drinking water. If you are still concerned about lead, arrange with a laboratory to test your tap water. Testing your water is important if young children or pregnant women drink your tap water. All testing should be done through an accredited laboratory. Contact a Minnesota Department of Health accredited laboratory to purchase a sample container and instructions on how to submit a sample. You can also contact your county or water utility to see if they have any programs to make testing your water easier.
- Get the lead out. Find out if you have a lead service line connecting your home to city water by contacting your system’s water utility. If you do have a lead service line, make plans to get it replaced by coordinating with your water utility. If your home has plumbing fixtures made before 1986, you may want to consider replacing them with newer, lead-free fixtures if testing shows lead is present and is not reduced by letting the water run.
- Treat your water. If you cannot find the source of lead and letting the water run does not reduce lead levels, you may need to consider a water treatment option such as a certified filter for lead removal. See Home Water Treatment for more information.
If you have a private well
Lead is not usually found in well water. Lead may enter your drinking water as it travels from your well through your plumbing system. Wells, pipes, solder, and fixtures built before 1995 may have parts that have lead in them. Visit Lead in Well Water Systems to learn more. Make sure you use cold water and let it run before using it for drinking and cooking. You are responsible for keeping your well water safe and testing it as needed.
If you are on a public water system
All community water systems (serving where you live) follow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for testing for lead and copper. They also follow EPA standards to ensure water does not easily dissolve lead and copper while moving through pipes. You can find the levels of lead and copper your community water system detected by looking at your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), also known as an annual drinking water quality report. You can call your community water system to get a copy of the report, or you may be able to find it online at Consumer Confidence Reports.
Non-community systems serving schools, offices, factories, and childcare facilities follow the EPA standards for testing for lead and copper; you can contact your non-community system to find the level of lead detected in the system.
Non-community systems serving restaurants, resorts, and campgrounds are not required to test for lead.
Lead can get into your drinking water as it passes through your house’s plumbing If you live in a house built before 1986, you may have lead parts in your system. Make sure you use cold water and let the water run before using it for drinking and cooking. The only way to know how much lead is in your drinking water is to test the water from your tap.
