Information on Lead

BACKGROUND

The Town of Purcellville is committed to providing safe drinking water that meets all state and federal regulations. Federal regulations for lead and copper in drinking water were originally passed in 1986 from Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. In December 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) released new rules to prevent exposure to lead in drinking water, known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. These recent revisions require water utilities to create a Lead Service Line Inventory to determine where lead service lines may be within the distribution system, businesses, and homes.


FACTS ABOUT LEAD AND YOUR DRINKING WATER

 Lead may work its way into drinking water after the water enters the distribution system and is on its way to consumers taps.  This usually happens through the corrosion of materials containing lead in household plumbing.  These materials include brass faucets, lead solder on copper pipes, lead pipes, or lead service lines connecting the water main to the inside plumbing.  Lead pipes are no longer installed for service lines or in household plumbing and lead solder has been outlawed in Virginia since 1985.

Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body from drinking water or other sources. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of your body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Scientists have linked the effects of lead on the brain with lowered IQ in children. Adults with kidney problems and high blood pressure can be affected by low levels of lead more than healthy adults. Lead is stored in the bones and it can be released later in life. During pregnancy, the child receives lead from the mother’s bones, which may affect brain development.

 For more information on reducing lead exposure around your home/building and the health effects of lead:

 Please call us at 540-338-2513

  1. Use Town’s instructions on how to identify lead service lines HERE
  2. Visit EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/lead
  3. Visit VDH’s website at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/leadsafe/
  4. Contact the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD