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1. What is lead?

Lead is a metal that was commonly used in:

• Plumbing pipes and fixtures
• Homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint
• Gasoline (banned in 1995) 

2. How can I be exposed to lead?

Most exposure to lead is from paint dust, paint chips and soil contaminated with lead. Lead can also get into your body by drinking or cooking with water containing lead. Young children’s bodies absorb lead more easily than adults, and lead can be passed from a mother to her unborn child. For these reasons, lead in drinking water can be a source of exposure for pregnant women, young children and infants who are fed powdered formula.

Lead is not absorbed through the skin. Bathing or showering in water containing lead is okay.

3. How does lead get into drinking water?

Lead water pipes can sometimes be found in older homes. Drinking water faucets manufactured before 2014 were allowed to contain up to 8% lead. This lead can sometimes find its way into our drinking water.

Lead found in drinking water is soluble or particulate.  Soluble lead is lead that is dissolved in water. Particulate lead is small pieces of lead from lead-containing material. Either type of lead can get into your drinking water when pipes or faucets containing lead begin to break down or dissolve.  The amount of lead that can end up in drinking water depends on:

• Water chemistry (what is in the water)
• Contact with lead-containing items (if it passes through lead plumbing or fixtures)
• Water use (how often and in what amount water runs through plumbing and fixtures)
• Construction or plumbing repairs in the street or home (particulate lead can be released)

4. How can I prevent being exposed to lead in my water?

Flush your pipes before using your water if it has sat for more than 6 hours. 
 If you have not used your water for several hours, flushing your pipes may reduce the amount of soluble (dissolved) lead in your drinking water. To flush the pipes in your home, do any of the following for at least five minutes:

• Turn a cold water faucet on all the way and let it run.
• Take a shower.
• Run a load of laundry.
• Run your dishwasher.

Before using the water from any specific faucet for drinking or cooking, run the cold water again until goes from room temperature to cold. This flushes out any water that had been sitting in that sink’s pipes and faucet.

Use a certified filter or bottled water.   

Properly maintained and installed filters are proven to reduce lead in water. Both particulate and soluble lead can be safely removed from drinking water by using a certified water filter. 

Free filters are available to city of Benton Harbor residents.  

Free filters are available to city of Benton Harbor residents through the Berrien County Health Department. Call 844.875.9211 or visit the Berrien County Health Department at 2149 E. Napier Ave. from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday or the Center for Better Health at 100 W. Main St. from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Both locations are in Benton Harbor, and neither requires appointments.  

If you decide to purchase your own filter, be sure the packaging says the filter is certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction and certified for NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for particulate reduction (Class I).

Proper filter installation and maintenance are essential. 

Properly installation and maintenance are essential for the filter to work properly. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the filter and maintain it. If you need assistance installing your filter, call the Berrien County Health Department at 844.875.9211. 

Use cold filtered water or bottled water for:

Drinking, cooking, making baby formula, rinsing foods, brushing teeth and for pets. It is OK to warm the cold filtered water as needed.

Do not use hot water for drinking or cooking.

Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Instead, use cold water and heat. 

It’s okay to use water that’s not filtered or flushed for:

Showering and bathing. Avoid swallowing the water if lead is a concern.

Washing your hands, dishes and clothes, as well as for cleaning.

Don’t try to remove lead by boiling the water.

It won’t work. Water evaporates during boiling, so levels of lead in the water may end up higher than before boiling.

Clean the aerators on your faucets once per week.

Aerators (the mesh screens on your sink faucet) can trap pieces of particulate lead. Clean your drinking water faucet aerator at least once a week. Learn how to clean an aerator here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P9L2b8v5VM

If there is construction or repairs to the public water system or pipes near your home, clean your drinking water faucet aerator more frequently. 

Replace plumbing, pipes, and faucets that may add lead into your drinking water.

Older faucets, fittings and valves sold before 2014 may contain up to 8% lead, even if marked “lead-free.” Replace faucets with those made in 2014 or later and are certified to contain 0.25% lead or less.

5. Why does flushing the water before drinking make it safe?

Lead can enter drinking water when it comes in contact with pipes or plumbing fixtures that have lead service lines or internal plumbing made with lead. The more time water has been sitting in your home’s pipes, the more lead it may contain. The most important thing you can do is run your water for at least five minutes before you drink, cook or use your water for washing fruits and/or vegetables.

6. What are some of the health problems lead can cause?

Lead in drinking water can enter your blood and build up in the body over time. Children under 6-years-old are most at risk of harm to their health. If you are pregnant, lead can harm your unborn baby. Adults are less likely than children to be harmed by lead in water.

Lead exposure in babies and young children can cause serious health problems. Some of the health problems may never go away. Lead in a child’s body can:

• Slow down growth and development
• Damage hearing and speech
• Make it hard to pay attention and learn

Unborn babies build bone from calcium found in their mother’s bones. When calcium is released from the mother’s bones to her unborn baby, lead stored in her bones is released too. Lead can also cross the placenta. Lead can:

• Reduce growth of the unborn baby including the brain, kidneys and nervous system
• Cause premature birth
• Cause a miscarriage

Good nutrition is one way to protect your family from lead. Include calcium, iron and vitamin C in your family’s diet. This may help keep lead from being absorbed in the body.

Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about exposure to lead from drinking water or other sources. Your doctor may choose to order a lead blood test. A lead blood test can tell you how much lead may be in your blood.

7. Where can I get my child’s blood tested for lead?

The Berrien County Health Department is offering lead blood testing at its Benton Harbor location at 2149 E. Napier Ave. You can also talk to your family doctor if you’re concerned that your child has been exposed to lead or is at risk of lead exposure.

8. What does an "elevated blood lead level" mean?

In Michigan, a blood lead level of five micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or higher is considered elevated, or high. Most people who have an elevated blood lead level do not look or act sick. A blood lead test is the only way to determine a blood lead level. Talk with your doctor or the Berrien County Health Department about getting a lead test for your child if:

• You believe your child has been exposed to lead
• Your child is at risk of lead exposure

9. Should I have my child tested for lead?

Children under the age of 6 are at the highest risk for elevated blood lead levels. Lead can harm a child's growth, behavior and ability to learn. Lead exposure happens when children come in contact with lead, generally from lead-based paint or lead plumbing supplying drinking water. 

A simple blood test can determine the level of lead in your child's blood. Contact your family doctor or the Berrien County Health Department to ask about getting a lead test for your child if you believe they may have been at risk of lead exposure.

10. Where can I go to get my water tested?

Your public water supplier may provide water testing kits for residents who would like to test their water for lead. Call your municipal water system for more information. If they do not offer free testing, you can contact a certified lab to have your water tested. This test usually costs around $30. To find a certified lab, visit Michigan.gov/EGLELab and choose “Drinking Water Laboratory."

11. Will it cost me anything to get my water tested for lead?

The water test is free for Benton Harbor City water customers. There will be no cost for water testing for Benton Harbor residents.

12. What else is the Berrien County Health Department doing?

The Berrien County Health Department monitors elevated blood lead levels in children who are potentially at-risk around Berrien County. Our public health nurses provide individualized case management, education, and resources for families who have children with elevated blood lead levels to help them identify lead exposure risks and create a healthy home.

13. What is a lead service line?

A service line connects the water main in the street to the plumbing in your house. The municipality owns and maintains service lines starting at the water main located in the street to the customer’s stop box (water valve near the sidewalk). Customers own the service lines from the stop box to their home.

14. How do I know if I have a lead service line going to my house?

To find out, you can:

• Hire a licensed plumber to do a plumbing inspection on your home; or
• Look at the plumbing in your basement yourself. Your service line often comes into the basement of your house and will be connected to your water meter:
• If the pipe coming through your basement wall is copper (the color of a penny) or plastic, lead is not likely a concern.
• If the pipe is another color, you will want to use a key or coin to scratch the pipe close to the wall.
• If it scratches easily, and you don't see copper underneath, you may have a lead pipe.
• Next, try sticking a magnet to it. If it sticks, it's likely a galvanized steel pipe, but may have lead solder. If it doesn't stick, you may have lead pipes.
• Call your city water provider to see if they can confirm the type of pipe that you have. The city may have programs to help you get a new, safer service line to your home.

15. Where can I go to find more information?

Water Service Line Questions: Contact your municipal water supplier
Getting Water Tested: Contact your municipal water supplier
Getting a Water Filter: Berrien County Health Department: 1.800.815.8485
Getting a Lead Test for a Child: Berrien County Health Department, 1.800.815.8485
Safe Drinking Water Act Questions: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, 517-284-6700