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Lead Exposure Assessment Device
Citation:
Pinelli, M. AND D. Lytle. Lead Exposure Assessment Device. 19th Annual EPA drinking water workshop, Cincinnati, OH, August 29 - September 01, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
Lead service lines are a significant source of lead in many water distribution systems, and they must be identified in order to be removed. This poster explains the Lead Exposure Assessment Device, a point of use filter currently being developed to identify lead service lines. It also compares water sampling methods currently being used to the method of capturing lead on the POU filter, desorbing that lead, and then determining the lead concentration from the water that ran through the filter. The goal of producing this device is to reduce the cost of accurately identifying lead service lines.
Description:
Lead service lines (LSLs) are a major contributor of lead, and replacing them is a concern of many water distribution systems. However, in order to be removed, LSLs must first be identified. This is traditionally done by collecting samples from many residences throughout the system and analyzing the lead results. Because stagnation time, temperature, and other factors affect lead levels at the tap, there are various sampling methods targeted at obtaining specific information. In composite sampling, some water is collected each time a resident drinks from their tap and this water is combined into one sample. This type of sample is designed to accurately represent the amount of lead that a person consumes, and also provides the approximate average lead concentration in their drinking water. The Lead Exposure Assessment Device is a point of use filter based on this design. The water that the resident drinks will flow through the filter until the filter's service life is exhausted. At such time, the built-in flow totalizer's volume will be recorded and the filter will be sent to a lab to desorb the lead from the filter and obtain a sample. The mass of lead the filter removed from the drinking water and the total volume of water passed through the filter provide the average lead concentration for that water, which will be used to determine if that location has a LSL.