How to Protect Yourself from Lead-Contaminated Water

UPDATE: In October 2024—10 years after NRDC and community partners started the fight against the water crisis in Flint, Michigan—the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, which requires that nearly every lead water pipe in the country be removed by 2037. In 2021, NRDC, along with partner groups and 10 state attorneys general, had challenged the EPA's previous lead regulations, deeming them inadequate and illegal. The new 2024 rule is a monumental victory for public health, as there is no safe level of lead. A water utility trade association has challenged the 2024 rule in court, but NRDC and our allies are there defending it. The rule—which is the first significant new protection on lead in water in more than three decades—also requires water utilities and cities to establish better lead testing requirements and mandates a complete inventory of lead service lines.

Health experts agree that there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Lead often makes its way into our drinking water after leaching or flaking off into the water from old lead pipes. These pipes may wind their way from the water main in the street to our homes (in which case they are called lead service lines), or they can be part of our indoor plumbing. Lead contamination can be especially serious if a water system fails to treat its water adequately to control how corrosive it is. The toxic heavy metal can cause serious and irreversible damage to the body—affecting the cardiovascular and nervous systems, fertility, and cognitive ability, among other functions. And it’s particularly dangerous to children.

Through the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all community water systems to prepare and deliver an annual water quality report and to take action in the event of lead contamination. (Starting in 2027, larger water systems will have to deliver those water quality reports twice a year.) In addition, under recent EPA rules, water systems have to complete an inventory of where their lead service lines are located and must tell their customers if they have a known or possible lead line.

Yet some municipalities continue to flout their obligations. Violations of the EPA’s lead rules are rampant (check out this map to see systems with lead violations and lead levels above the EPA’s action level). Recent NRDC research shows that 251 million people in the country—a staggering 81 percent of our population—drank water from systems that detected lead levels exceeding those recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to protect children. While such lead exposure is not necessarily a violation of EPA rules, it demonstrates that we still have a long way to go to protect our health. 

Until these crises are fully resolved, residents in any home built before 2014 (when requirements were tightened for lead in new plumbing and fixtures) should take these steps to minimize their exposure.

Use a water filter and maintain your filter according to manufacturer instructions

Select and use water filters that are certified as meeting the NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead removal and NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for Class I/II Particulate Reduction. As the EPA notes, filters can be certified by NSF, Water Quality Association (WQA), International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, UL Solutions, or Canadian Standard Association. See this guide for a review of how to pick and operate a filter and this one for a list of filters that reduce lead levels. Note that this list only covers devices that have been certified by the NSF laboratory. There are four additional labs that certify filters, so you may find certified filters that are not on this list. Importantly, be sure to change the filter cartridges regularly, as the manufacturer’s instructions specify.

Check out agency records

Your water utility should have public records that can provide you with valuable information—like the locations of lead service lines or the results of lead testing of tap water at different locations across your service area. The utility should also have its most recent water quality reports (sometimes utilities call them “consumer confidence reports”). Some of this information is often found on the utility’s website. You can call your public water system (the folks who bill you for tap water or your apartment building or condo) for these records.

Get your tap water tested for lead

Many cities offer this free service to the public. If you’d prefer independent testing, you can get it done by a state-certified lab; check the EPA website to find a certified lab through your state that can analyze samples. Be sure that the lab you choose asks that you collect multiple samples of your tap water (the EPA’s new rule requires testing of the first as well as the fifth liter of water from your tap, which is intended to capture water that has been sitting in your service line). But also be aware that water testing can be hit-or-miss: On some days, lead levels may be low; on others, when small particles of lead flake off from inside the pipes, levels may be high. This is another reason an at-the-tap water filter that’s certified to remove lead is a good idea.

When collecting samples from a tap for testing, it’s important that you do not turn on the water in your home for at least six hours prior to sampling. There may be varying instructions from your city or lab on how to collect the samples, but collecting the water after it sits in the plumbing (first liter) is a must to measure the amount of lead that can leach while you sleep or when you’re at work.

Use only cold tap water for drinking

Warm or hot water is more likely to contain elevated levels of lead. Also, do not boil your drinking water—that can concentrate the lead content.

Clean your faucet aerators too

If you’re not using an on-the-faucet filter, you should regularly remove and clean individual faucet aerators (this video offers helpful tips; generally, you can unscrew this little screen at the end of your faucet to clean it of any particles and sediment—which can contain lead flakes—that have accumulated there). While we recommend that you regularly clean your aerators, be aware that the EPA’s protocol for testing lead in tap water doesn’t allow water systems to clean aerators before testing. That’s because the EPA wants to be sure that the test reflects what people are regularly exposed to, accounting for the fact that most folks don’t routinely remove and clean their aerators. 

Protect growing bodies

To the extent possible, use only water that is filtered as recommended above, especially for baby formula and for food or drink preparation for young kids. Generally, NRDC recommends a certified filter rather than bottled water, unless there are issues beyond lead in your water (such as violations, microbial contamination, or frequent boil water alerts from your water system that indicate other underlying problems). If bottled water is the only practical alternative, your best choice is a brand that has been tested for lead and other contaminants; a few water bottlers will provide such information upon request. Another option is to use premixed formula for infants. Pregnant or nursing women should also use effectively filtered or tested-safe bottled water for drinking and cooking. Further, parents should consider having their children tested for lead exposure by a pediatrician or other doctor.

If you can afford it, consider replacing your own pipes and fixtures

Determine whether you have any lead-containing pipes and fixtures in your home. A certified plumber should be able to help you if you cannot find this out yourself. Consider replacing any indoor household plumbing that may contain lead, including faucets and valves. If you do install any new household pipes or fixtures, choose copper pipes (not plastic, which can leach chemicals and release microplastics) and flush the cold water taps afterward. Ensure that all plumbing materials purchased are certified to NSF 61, the plumbing standard for ensuring materials do not release harmful contaminants into drinking water. While newer plumbing and fixtures made since 2014 are required to meet tighter new standards for lead content, be aware that some lead is still allowed—yet another reason that a certified filter at the tap is a good idea.

That said, here’s an important caveat: If you find that the pipe bringing water to your home from the street—the service line—contains lead, do not remove that pipe yourself without first checking with your water utility. The utility should remove and replace the entire length of the lead service line, because replacing only part of it can cause lead levels to increase. (Learn more about the problem with partial lead service line replacements here.) 

Some utilities may try to charge you for replacing the portion of the pipe on private property, and this may run several thousand dollars. You can ask them for proof that you (as opposed to the utility) own the part of the pipe on your side of the property line. Service line ownership rules vary, and some utilities may assert that you own the pipe without legal justification. Some utilities will pay for the full line replacement or will offer to bill you over time for replacing the portion of the line that you own.

Call city officials and legislators

It’s critical to urge those in charge to fix the problem and keep you informed about their progress. Let officials know about your concerns and if your city’s lead levels are unacceptable. Finally, contact your state and federal legislators and urge them to fund future water infrastructure improvement projects.

This story was originally published October 19, 2023, and updated with new information and links.

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