Your home is at high risk of lead contaminated water if it has:

1. lead pipes and/or lead connectors from the water main
2. copper pipes with lead solder
3. soft water (a water softener can contribute to the corrosiveness of the water and if used, should not be connected to pipes leading to drinking water taps)
4. water remaining in pipes that contact lead for several hours (the longer water has been sitting in your home's pipes, the more lead it may contain).

1. 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. Save the flushing water for cleaning, watering plants, washing dishes.

1. Use only cold water for drinking & cooking -- hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead.
2. Inspect your plumbing system to detect lead. Lead pipes and solder are dull gray, when scratched they will look shiny.
3. 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.

Lead Paint Contamination Lead-based paint is a notorious culprit. Many homes/apartments built before 1960 have heavily leaded paint and homes/apartments built prior to 1978 may also contain paint with dangerously high levels of lead. Lead based paint can be on walls, ceilings, woodwork, windows, furniture (cribs), children’s toys and even floors. As it peels, paint chips are loosened and can be ingested by children. Another contamination source from lead is lead dust particles. Painted surface friction points, such as window frames and sills, create paint dust. Household renovation activities can also create high levels of paint dust. When a lead–based paint surface is broken, sanded or scraped, it breaks into tiny, sometimes invisible, pieces that children can swallow or inhale.

Ceramic dishes and mugs are another area of concern. Some ceramic dishware, especially those imported from foreign countries, may contain lead contaminated glaze. The lead can leach into food or liquids, particularly acidic foods. Foods stored or cooked in these containers are at higher risk of contamination.

Health Effects of Lead

*Childhood lead poisoning remains a major environmental health problem in the U.S..* 

*Even children who appear healthy can have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies.* 
 

• People can get lead in their body if they:
  • Put their hands or other objects covered with lead dust in their mouths. 
  • Eat paint chips or soil that contains lead. 
  • Breathe in lead dust (especially during renovations that disturb painted surfaces).
• Lead is even more dangerous to children than adults because: 
  • Babies and young children often put their hands and other objects in their mouths.  These objects can have lead dust on them. 
  • Children's growing bodies absorb more lead. 
  • Children's brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.
• If not detected early, children with high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from: 
  • Damage to the brain and nervous system 
  • Behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity) 
  • Slowed growth
  • Hearing problems
  • Headaches 
• Lead is also harmful to adults. Adults can suffer from: 
  • Difficulties during pregnancy
  • Other reproductive problems (in both men and women) 
  • High blood pressure
  • Digestive problems
  • Nerve disorders
  • Memory and concentration problems
  • Muscle and joint pain 

  Where Lead is Found

  *In general, the older your home, the more likely it has lead-based paint. * 
   

• Paint.  Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint.  The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978.  Some states stopped its use even earlier.  Lead can be found: 
  • In homes in the city, country, or suburbs. 
  • In apartments, single-family homes, and both private and public housing. 
  • Inside and outside of the house. 
• In soil around a home. (Soil can pick up lead from exterior paint, or other sources such as past use of leaded gas in cars.) 
• Household dust. (Dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into a home.)
• Drinking water. Your home might have plumbing with lead or lead solder. Call your local health department or water supplier to find out about testing your water. You cannot see, smell, or taste lead, and boiling your water will not get rid of lead. If you think your plumbing might have lead in it: 
  • Use only cold water for drinking and cooking. 
  • Run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours. 
• The job. If you work with lead, you could bring it home on your hands or clothes. Shower and change clothes before coming home. Launder your work clothes separately from the rest of your family's clothes. 
• Old painted toys and furniture. 
• Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain. 
• Lead smelters or other industries that release lead into the air. 
• Hobbies that use lead, such as making pottery or stained glass, or refinishing furniture. 
• Folk remedies that contain lead, such as "greta" and "azarcon" used to treat an upset stomach.

Where Lead is Likely to be a Hazard

*Lead from paint chips, which you can see, and lead dust, which you can't always see, can be serious hazards.* 
 

• Peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint is a hazard and needs immediate attention. 
• Lead-based paint may also be a hazard when found on surfaces that children can chew or that get a lot of wear-and-tear.  These areas include: 
  • Windows and window sills.
  • Doors and door frames.
  • Stairs, railings, and banisters.
  • Porches and fences. 

• Lead dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded, or heated. Dust also forms when painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can re-enter the air when people vacuum, sweep, or walk through it. 
• Lead in soil can be a hazard when children play in bare soil or when people bring soil into the house on their shoes.

Contact Us for a lead home inspection. 425.608.9553 or 1.866.981.MOLD - Serving Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Olympia, Bothell, Puyallup, Tuckwila, Issaquah and all of King, Snohomish and Prierce counties.