Tips to Decrease Lead Exposure in Your Home Drinking Water
– If water has been sitting in the pipes for longer than 6 hours (overnight or during the day if away from home), the CDC recommends running cold water for 5 minutes or longer before drinking or cooking.
– Drink or cook with only cold tap water. Boiling water will not reduce the amount of lead in the water.
– Install a water filter in your home. The National Sanitation Foundation has a list of filters that are certified to reduce lead in water.
– Make sure that repairs to copper pipes do not use lead solder.
– Contact Women for a Healthy Environment for a presentation about lead and water in your community. Call our office at 412-404-2872.
– Contact Women for a Healthy Environment for free lead test kits to be sent to your school or early learning center.
– Become familiar with proposed bills in your state’s House & Senate
Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis
Executive Director
Women for a Healthy Environment