LEAD - American Water

1 LEAD. The most common source of lead in tap Water is the plumbing in your home Indiana American Minimizing your exposure Water regularly tests for You cannot see, smell or taste lead, and boiling Water will not remove lead. Although lead in drinking Water and our Water is treated to minimize the risk has taken steps to minimize of lead, you can reduce your household's exposure to lead in drinking Water by levels through improvements following these simple steps: in corrosion control. Flush your tap before drinking or Although these tests indicate that lead is cooking with Water , if the Water in the not present in the treated Water leaving our faucet has gone unused for more than facility, lead and/or copper levels in some six hours. The longer the Water lies homes and businesses might be detected dormant in your home's plumbing, the due to customer use of lead pipes, lead more lead it might contain.

2 Flush your solder and molded metal faucets in tap with cold Water for 30 seconds to household plumbing. two minutes before using. To conserve Water , catch the running Water and use Health effects associated with it to Water your plants. high levels of lead Try not to cook with or drink Water For more The Environmental Protection Agency from the hot Water faucet. Hot Water information (EPA) sets standards related to lead in has the potential to contain more lead Indiana American Water drinking Water . Lead levels that exceed than cold Water . When you need hot Customer Service Center: these standards could cause serious Water , heat cold Water on the stove or 1-800-492-8373. damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous in the microwave. M-F, 7 - 7 system and red blood cells. The greatest Remove loose lead solder and debris risk, even with short-term exposure, is to from plumbing. In newly-constructed Check us out online young children and pregnant women.

3 Homes or homes in which the plumbing was recently replaced, remove the Assessing your exposure to lead strainers from each faucet and run For more information on Lead levels in drinking Water are more the Water for 3 to 5 minutes. When drinking Water standards: likely to be higher if: replacing or working on pipes, be sure Contact the your home or Water system has lead to use materials that are lead-free. EPA Hotline at pipes or has a lead service line Use of lead-based solders has been 1-800-426-4791. your home has copper pipes with lead banned. solder your home was built before 1986 Look for the Lead Free Label. AND When replacing or installing fixtures, you have soft or acidic Water look for the lead free label. Under Water sits in the pipes for the 2011 Reduction of Lead in several hours drinking Water Act, fixtures must have lead or less to be considered lead free.. See also information on the reverse related to home treatment devices.

4 (Continued). If you are still concerned about elevated Lead pipes are dull grey color and levels and want to find out where you scratch easily revealing a shiny surface. Getting your Water can have your Water tested by a certified Lead solder used to join copper pipes laboratory, contact the EPA's Safe drinking is a silver or grey color. If your house tested for lead Water Act Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 was built before January 1986, you Indiana American Water does or visit the Indiana Department of are more likely to have lead-soldered not provide testing for lead Environmental Management's website joints. If you do, the chance of the lead for individual customers at leaching into your drinking Water is who request it. Customers greater when Water has been standing can choose to have their FREQUENTLY in the pipes for many hours, overnight Water tested at their cost at a certified laboratory.

5 A. for example. ASKED QUESTIONS list of state certified labs is Lead kits that test for the presence of Is lead in Water regulated and lead in solder are available at some available at does Indiana American Water hardware stores. comply with standards? For more information Yes and yes. The EPA's lead standard is Should I flush my faucets Contact EPA's Safe an action level that requires treatment every morning before using it drinking Water Act modifications if lead test results to drink or use for food prep? Hotline: 1-800-492-8373. exceed 15 parts per billion (ppb) in Yes. If you know you have lead pipes or Visit the Indiana more than 10 percent of first draw lead solder was used on your copper Department of samples taken from household taps. piping, flush your tap before drinking Environmental Indiana American Water regularly tests or cooking with Water , if the Water in Management online at for lead at the end of its treatment the faucet has gone unused for more process.

6 Testing has shown that lead is than six hours. The longer the Water not an issue in the Water exiting any of lies dormant in your home's plumbing, our Water treatment facilities. the more lead it might contain. Flush Do I need a home your tap with cold Water for 30 seconds treatment device for lead? We also conduct tests in our to two minutes before using. distribution system in accordance with The need for a home treatment the EPA regulatory requirements. For How can I tell if my Water device is a customer-specific more information on your system, visit contains too much lead? decision. Indiana American to view the latest Water takes steps to reduce the You can have your Water tested for potential for lead to leach from consumer confidence report. Under the lead. Since you cannot see, taste or Water Quality & Stewardship menu, your pipes into the Water . This smell lead dissolved in Water , testing in is accomplished by adding a select Water Quality Reports.

7 The only sure way of knowing. corrosion inhibitor or by reducing Does that mean I do not have Will electrical grounding the acidity of the Water leaving lead in my Water ? increase my lead levels? our treatment facilities. Certain Not necessarily. You might have lead in home treatment devices, such Possibly. If grounding wires from as Water softeners for example, your drinking Water if your household electrical systems are attached to plumbing system has lead pipes or if might increase lead levels in your household plumbing, corrosion and Water . Always consult the device lead solder was used in the joints of lead exposure may be greater. copper pipes. manufacturer for information on Customers can choose to pay to have potential impacts to your drinking Homes built before 1930 are more an electrician check the house wiring. Water or household plumbing. likely to have lead plumbing systems. 02-2016.

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