Reduce Exposure to Lead

Reduce Exposure to Lead  Important Information: About Lead ... in Your Drinking Water
Recent monitoring results (2021) from some older homes in Harrisburg exceeded the regulatory level for lead in drinking water. The City of Harrisburg found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings.
Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.

Health Effects of Lead
Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body from drinking water or other sources. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Adults with kidney problems and high blood pressure can be affected by low levels of lead more than healthy adults. Lead is stored in the bones, and it can be released later in life. During pregnancy, the child can receive lead from the mother’s bones, which may affect brain development.

Sources of Lead
Lead is a common metal found throughout the environment. Common sources of lead exposure are lead-based paint, household dust, soil, and plumbing materials. Lead is also found in other household objects such as toys, cosmetics, and pottery. there are no lead-based water service lines in the City’s water piping distribution system. Today, the main sources of lead in water are from the plumbing in homes and other buildings. Lead solder was once used to join copper pipes, brass plumbing fixtures and components, including those advertised as “lead-free.” In homes built or plumbed with copper pipes before 1985, lead solder may have been used. When water stands for several hours in plumbing systems that contain lead, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. Water that has been sitting in household pipes for several hours, such as in the morning, or after returning from work or school, is the most likely to contain lead. If present, lead in drinking water may contribute 10 to 20 percent of a person’s exposure to lead. Infants who consume mostly formula mixed with contaminated water could receive 40 to 60 percent of their exposure to lead from drinking water. In this area, dust from paint in homes built before 1978 is likely a common source of exposure to lead also. Other sources include drinking water, soil, pottery, traditional folk medicines, cosmetics, toys and some occupations and hobbies.
 

Water Treatment and Programs

Lead enters drinking water primarily because of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in household plumbing. In addition to reducing lead exposure in drinking water, we support programs to reduce exposure to lead from all sources.

To reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water from household plumbing,follow these easy steps:

• Run your water to flush out lead. If the water has not been used for several hours, run each tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes
• Use cold, fresh water for cooking and preparing baby formula.
• Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap, lead dissolves more easily into hot water.
• Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
• Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
• Consider using a filter. Check whether it reduces lead—not all filters do. Be sure to maintain and replace a filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to protect water quality.
• Test your child for lead. Contact a health care provider to find out how to have your child tested for lead. A blood lead level test is the only way to know if your child is being exposed to lead.
• Regularly clean your faucet aerator. Particles containing lead from solder or household plumbing can become trapped in your faucet aerator. Regularly cleaning every few months will remove these particles and reduce your exposure to lead.
• Consider buying low-lead fixtures. As of January 4, 2014, all pipes, fittings, and fixtures are required to contain less than 0.25% lead. When buying new fixtures, consumers should seek out those with the lowest lead content.

City of Harrisburg

PO Box 378

120 Smith Street

Harrisburg, OR 97446

For more information about your drinking water, call us at 541-995-6655 or visit our website at: www.ci.harrisburg.or.us