a

What You Need To Know About Lead In Your Drinking Water

lead in water

Does My Water Contain Lead?

The only way to know for sure if your water contains lead is through professional testing. Lead in drinking water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, making it undetectable without a proper water analysis. That’s why regular testing is essential to ensure your water is free from lead and other harmful contaminants.

How Does Lead Get into Drinking Water?

Lead can enter your water through older plumbing systems, including:

  • Lead pipes

  • Corroded fixtures or solder

  • Municipal supply lines with aging infrastructure

This usually happens when water is not properly treated with an anticorrosive agent, allowing it to pick up lead as it passes through plumbing materials.

If your home has lead pipes, don’t panic—properly treated water can significantly reduce the risk of lead contamination.

Health Risks of Lead in Water

Lead is a toxic metal that can have serious, long-term health effects. There is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children and pregnant women. Some of the risks include:

  • In children: developmental delays, learning difficulties, behavioral issues, slowed growth, and in extreme cases, death

  • In adults: kidney damage, high blood pressure, and reproductive issues

  • During pregnancy: increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and developmental harm to the fetus

Lead poisoning develops gradually, building up in the body over months or even years. If you suspect exposure, consult a healthcare provider for lead testing as soon as possible.

Mother Holding Sick Baby
EPA

Is Any Amount of Lead Safe?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), no amount of lead in drinking water is considered safe. Even low levels of lead can be harmful over time. The EPA also estimates that up to 20% of lead exposure in the human body can come from drinking water.

How to Remove Lead from Your Water

To protect your family, it’s important to use a certified water filtration system that removes lead effectively. Relying on bottled water isn’t a long-term solution—it can be expensive, unreliable, and environmentally harmful due to plastic waste.

Clearwater offers a variety of water filtration systems designed to remove lead and other contaminants, giving you peace of mind and safe, clean drinking water.

Before choosing a system, we recommend speaking with one of our water experts. We offer certified products proven to reduce lead levels in drinking water.

Water Testing in Home

Get Your Water Tested for Lead

To find out if your home has elevated lead levels, contact us to schedule a comprehensive water test. While many water parameters can be tested in-home for free, lead requires analysis by a certified lab. We coordinate this testing for a nominal $30 fee.

Bonus: If you purchase a drinking water system from Clearwater within 30 days of your lead test, we’ll refund the full $30 fee.

Take the First Step Toward Safer Water

Don’t wait for symptoms to appear. Contact us today to schedule your water test and find out if lead or other contaminants are affecting your home’s water. Our experienced team will help you choose the right solution to keep your water—and your family—safe.