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A national survey of lead and other metal(loids) in residential drinking water in the United States
Citation:
Bradham, K., C. Nelson, T. Sowers, D. Lytle, J. Tully, M. Schock, K. Li, M. Blackmon, K. Kovalcik, D. Cox, G. Dewalt, W. Friedman, E. Pinzer, AND P. Ashley. A national survey of lead and other metal(loids) in residential drinking water in the United States. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology . Nature Publishing Group, London, Uk, 33(2):160-167, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-022-00461-6
Impact/Purpose:
To date, there are no national-level estimates of Pb, As and Cu in US drinking water collected from household taps using an exposure-based sampling protocol. Therefore, assessing public health impacts from metal(loids) in drinking water remains challenging. Results presented in this study represent the largest effort to date to test for exposure-relevant concentrations of Pb, As and Cu in US household drinking water, providing a critical step toward improved understanding of metal(loid) exposure risk.
Description:
Background Exposure to lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) may cause significant health issues including harmful neurological effects, cancer or organ damage. Determination of human exposure-relevant concentrations of these metal(loids) in drinking water, therefore, is critical. Objective We sought to characterize exposure-relevant Pb, As, and Cu concentrations in drinking water collected from homes participating in the American Healthy Homes Survey II, a national survey that monitors the prevalence of Pb and related hazards in United States homes. Methods Drinking water samples were collected from a national survey of 678 U.S. homes where children may live using an exposure-based composite sampling protocol. Relationships between metal(loid) concentration, water source and house age were evaluated. Results 18 of 678 (2.6%) of samples analyzed exceeded 5 µg Pb L−1 (Mean = 1.0 µg L−1). 1.5% of samples exceeded 10 µg As L−1 (Mean = 1.7 µg L−1) and 1,300 µg Cu L−1 (Mean = 125 µg L−1). Private well samples were more likely to exceed metal(loid) concentration thresholds than public water samples. Pb concentrations were correlated with Cu and Zn, indicative of brass as a common Pb source is samples analyzed. Significance Results represent the largest national-scale effort to date to inform exposure risks to Pb, As, and Cu in drinking water in U.S. homes using an exposure-based composite sampling approach.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: A national survey of lead and other metal(loids) in residential drinking water in the United States
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35986209/