What Can Community Members Do To Minimize Lead Exposure In Drinking Water
The following recommendations will help reduce exposure to lead in drinking water:
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Use cold water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Hotter water is more likely to leach metal from pipes and fittings.
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Community members should flush pipes until the water reaches its maximum cold temperature (two minutes or longer) if the water has not been used for several hours. This will provide fresh water that has not been sitting in household pipes or service lines for long periods of time. Please note that all houses are different. If there has been recent heavy water use, such as showering or laundry, flushing should take 5 to 30 seconds.
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Use point-of-use filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 and NSF/ANSI 42 standards for the reduction of lead and particulates (e.g., Zero Water, Brita, Clearly Filtered).
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Participate in the City of Evanston’s Lead Service Line Replacement Projects!