Lead
Pb·Affects brain, kidneys, bones, heart, reproductive
A potent neurotoxin with no safe exposure level for children. Leaches into tap water from corroding lead service lines, lead solder, and brass fixtures, especially in homes built before 1986.
Pb
EPA limit
0.015 mg/L action level (no MCL; MCLG is zero)
Most at risk
Children under 6, pregnant women, residents of pre-1986 homes, communities with lead service lines
Found in
City water · Well water · Industrial areas
AquaOx filters
YesKDF-55 + activated carbon (paired with RO for known lead exposure)
What it does to you
Health effects
Lead is a potent neurotoxin. The EPA sets the maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) at zero because there is no known safe level of exposure, particularly for the developing brain. Children under six absorb lead more efficiently than adults, and even low blood lead levels are linked to permanent reductions in IQ, attention deficits, and behavioral problems.
In adults, chronic lead exposure raises blood pressure, damages the kidneys, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Lead crosses the placenta, so prenatal exposure can harm fetal development. It also stores in bone for decades and can re-mobilize into the bloodstream during pregnancy, lactation, or with age-related bone loss.
Lead is associated with reduced fertility in both men and women, and chronic exposure can disrupt the menstrual cycle and harm sperm production. There is no detoxification process the body can use to clear lead once it's lodged in bone.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
Lead almost never enters drinking water at the treatment plant. It leaches from plumbing on the way to your tap. The biggest sources are lead service lines (the pipes connecting the water main to your house), lead solder used in pipe joints before it was banned in 1986, and brass fittings and fixtures that legally contained up to 8 percent lead until 2014.
Corrosive water accelerates the leaching. The Flint, Michigan crisis happened when the city switched to a more corrosive source water without adjusting corrosion control, stripping decades of protective scale from the inside of lead service lines and exposing residents to dangerously high lead levels.
Hot water dissolves lead more readily than cold water, which is why public health agencies recommend using only cold tap water for drinking, cooking, and especially for infant formula.
Lead service lines
Pre-1986 utility connection pipes
Lead solder in copper pipes
Used in homes built before 1986
Brass faucets and fittings
Legally up to 8% lead before 2014
Industrial discharge and legacy contamination
Battery plants, smelters, leaded gasoline residue
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
Because lead leaches from your own plumbing, the only way to know your levels is to test water drawn from your own tap. Many utilities offer free or subsidized lead testing kits; certified labs do it for $20 to $50.
Your utility's Consumer Confidence Report shows the 90th-percentile lead level from a sample of homes in the system. That number doesn't tell you what's coming out of your specific tap. If your home was built before 1986, or if you have a lead service line (your utility can usually tell you), assume you have some risk and test.
Pediatricians also recommend blood lead screening for children under six, which is a downstream check but catches exposure regardless of source.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
AquaOx's KDF-55 copper-zinc media reduces lead through redox chemistry, with the alloy converting soluble lead ions into insoluble forms that get trapped in the filter bed. The activated carbon stage adds capacity for residual lead.
Because lead exposure is so consequential, particularly for children, AquaOx recommends pairing the whole-house system with a point-of-use reverse osmosis unit at the kitchen sink whenever lead is a documented concern in your home or community. RO filters lead to below the EPA action level and gives you a second, dedicated barrier for drinking and cooking water and for infant formula preparation.