I recently moved into a house in Inverness and had my well water tested immediately after the pressure tank had a lead reading of.022 mg/L (EPA max level being .015 mg/L). We are highly concerned about this because we also just had a baby and realize the dangers of lead. I installed a point of use reverse osmosis system for drinking water but we are concerned about the baby ingesting regular tap water during baths or various other activities so we would like to find a way to remove the lead from being distributed through the entire house plumbing system. Are you aware of lead in any local well water, is there anything that you can recommend for doing something about it at the whole home level? I have spoken with several different water conditioning companies and there are drastically different opinions about doing a whole home reverse osmosis system and a very few plain filter options, and some of these options are very expensive.
If you are on a public water system, and living in an older home you should check to see if a lead service line connects your home to the public service system. The local water department can usually inspect the line coming into the home or check their records to confirm if the house is connected to the water system by a lead service line. In addition, faucets and lead-based solder can also contribute small amounts of lead into drinking water especially if produced and installed before 1998. Since lead in your water has been tested at a level greater than 0.015 mg/L, options include having the lead service line replaced, using a home water treatment product certified for lead reduction, or using certified bottled water. Several technologies that treat drinking water in the home have been proven to significantly reduce lead, in addition to reducing other contaminants as well. These technologies include: Reverse osmosis, Distillation, Solid block and pre-coat adsorption filters, which are made with carbon or activated alumina, Water softening (for water lead-contaminated before entering the home).
As you have found out, a whole home treatment system is very expensive. Since you have installed a point-of-use reverse osmosis system for your drinking water you might consider doing the same for the baby’s bathwater. A less expensive option might be the attach a PUR water filter to the faucet when drawing the baby’s bathwater. -Dr. Thomsen