Lead
What is Lead?
Lead is a potent neurotoxin with no known safe level of exposure, especially for infants and children. In drinking water it typically doesn't come from the source water itself. It leaches from aging infrastructure: lead service lines, older plumbing, solder, and fixtures on the way to your tap.
Health effects
Even low-level lead exposure has been linked to reduced IQ, learning and behavioral effects, and developmental harm in children, with impacts that can last a lifetime. Because there's no safe threshold, reducing any exposure matters.
In DC-metro tap water
This is a well-documented concern in older cities such as Washington, DC, where decades-old pipes and building materials raise the risk of lead leaching into tap water, particularly in homes built before modern plumbing standards. Levels can vary dramatically from one building to the next, even on the same street, and regulatory action levels are not health-based limits.
How to remove it at the tap
Because lead usually enters water after it leaves the treatment plant, point-of-use protection is the reliable fix. A reverse osmosis system reduces dissolved lead at the tap, and quality RO systems are certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead reduction.
Where Lead shows up locally
Local water reports where this contaminant class is documented in the utility's data or watershed. Open your area to see the specifics and look up your exact zip code.
Frequently asked
Does my home have lead in the water?
It depends on your plumbing, not just the utility. Homes built before the 1986 lead-ban are more likely to have lead service lines or solder. A tap test is the only way to know for your specific home.
Does reverse osmosis remove lead?
Yes. Reverse osmosis reduces dissolved lead at the point of use, and certified RO systems meet NSF/ANSI 53 for lead reduction.
Is boiling water enough for lead?
No. Boiling does not remove lead and can actually concentrate it as water evaporates. Filtration or RO is required.
Related guides
The gap between what's legal and what's healthy
A utility can pass every federal test and still deliver water far above the levels health scientists consider safe. Federal legal limits were largely set decades ago; the health-based guidelines below reflect current cancer- and development-risk research.
No level is considered safe
Sources: EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (legal limits) and the EWG Tap Water Database / state public-health goals (health-based guidelines). A reverse osmosis system reduces every contaminant above at the point of use.