Information on Lead

The East Smithfield Water District is issuing this Report to inform you about an important issue:

1. Some homes in our community have elevated lead levels in their drinking water. Lead can

pose a significant risk to your health.

2. There is a simple way to reduce the potential risks of lead in your water.

What you should know about lead and drinking water

What are the health effects of lead?

Lead is a common metal found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, air, soil, household dust, food, certain types of pottery, porcelain and pewter, and water. Lead can cause

a significant risk to your health if too much of it enters your body.

Lead builds up in the body over many years and can affect the brain, red blood cells, and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children (especially under age 6) and pregnant women. Amounts of lead that won’t hurt adults can slow down normal mental and physical development in the growing bodies of children. In addition, a child at play often comes into contact with sources of lead contamination – like dirt and dust – that rarely affect an adult. It is important, therefore, to wash children’s hands and toys often, and to try to make sure that they only put food in their mouths. Lead in drinking water, although rarely the sole cause of lead poisoning, can increase a person’s total lead exposure, particularly the exposure of infants who drink baby formulas and concentrated juices that are mixed with water.

How does lead end up in the water from your faucet?

The drinking water that leaves the treatment plant in Scituate and journeys through the Providence Water and East Smithfield water distribution systems has no detectable levels of lead. Lead enters drinking water primarily as a result of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in household plumbing. These materials include lead pipes in your home, lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, brass and chrome-plated brass faucets, and in some cases, pipes made of lead that connect your house to the water main (service lines). Lead can leech into the water that remains in contact with these plumbing materials for a long period of time, such as an overnight period when people are sleeping or when the house is empty during the day while people are at work or school. Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes, and other plumbing materials to 8.0%.

When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead in the pipes or solder may dissolve into your drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon after returning from work or school, can contain higher levels of lead.

If my home is older, does that mean there is more chance of lead exposure?

Yes. During World War II and prior to the second world war, the use of lead pipes was quite common for new home construction. If you live in a house built during or prior to this era, there is a good chance that there is lead plumbing and a chance of higher lead exposure.

Steps you can take at home to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water

Despite our best efforts to control water corrosivity during our treatment process, lead levels in some homes or buildings can still be high. To find out whether you need to take action in your own home, you might wish to have your drinking water tested to determine if it contains excessive concentrations of lead. Testing the water is the only way to know for sure, because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water. For a $15 fee, the East Smithfield Water District will make arrangements to have your water tested and if lead levels are high for the first sample, we’ll pay for a second test. For more information on having your water tested, please call the District office at 231-0510.

In general, the East Smithfield Water District recommends that you flush your home’s plumbing to ensure your water is as lead free as possible.

1. Flush your system. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive way to protect your family’s health. It usually takes less than one or two gallons and costs less than one cent per month.

To flush your home’s plumbing, let water run from the faucet until is becomes noticeably colder before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water has gone unused for more than six hours. The colder temperature indicates the fresh water from the water main in the street has replaced the water that has been sitting in your home’s pipes. The longer water resides in your home’s plumbing, the more lead it may contain. If your house has a lead service line to the water main, you may have to flush the water for a longer time, perhaps for minute or two, before drinking. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of your home’s plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking.

You might want to fill a couple of bottles for drinking water while flushing the tap, and use the first flush water to wash the dishes or water the plants.

If you live in a high-rise building, letting the water flow before using it may not lessen your risk from lead. This is because plumbing systems have more, and sometimes larger, pipes than smaller buildings. Ask your landlord for help in locating the source of the lead and for advice on reducing the lead level.

2. Use only cold water for cooking and drinking. Try not to cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve more lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and heat it on the stove.

3. Remove loose lead solder and debris from the plumbing materials installed in newly constructed homes, or homes in which the plumbing has recently been replaced. To do this, remove the faucet strainers from all taps and run the water for 3 to 5 minutes. Thereafter, periodically remove the strainers and flush out any debris that has accumulated over time.

4. Identify and replace lead materials with lead-free ones. If your copper pipes are joined with lead solder that has been installed illegally since it was banned in 1986, notify the plumber who did the work and request that he or she replace the lead solder with lead-free solder. Lead solder looks dull gray, and when scratched with a key looks shiny

5. Lead Service Lines. The East Smithfield Water District completed a system-wide materials evaluation survey during the early 1990’s and found no lead service connections.

6. Have an electrician check your wiring. If grounding wires from the electrical system are attached to your pipes, corrosion may be greater. Check with a licensed electrician or your local electric code to determine if your wiring can be grounded elsewhere. DO NOT attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.

Contact information:

Your local doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead

The Rhode Island Department of Health (401-222-6867) can provide you with more information about the health effects of lead and tell you how and where you can have your child’s blood tested.

The East Smithfield Water District (401-231-0510) can give you information about your community’s water supply. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (401-222-6800) can provide additional information.

Useful links to other sources of web information about Lead and drinking water