Though your city's water quality report may claim low levels of lead, independent tests of water samples in individual homes done by Good Housekeeping Institute found otherwise. In their tests of drinking water in eight metropolitan areas, 12 percent of the homes sampled had lead levels exceeding the acceptable EPA standard.

Part of the problem lies in the acceptable standard for lead. "The EPA acknowledges that in terms of health there should be no lead in water," says the Good Housekeeping article. "But that isn't reflected in the standard the agency created, which is that water should contain no more than 15 parts of lead per billion. The EPA considered this a feasible target for utilities, based on what water-system technology could achieve and how much it would cost." Note the standard is not based on health, but on what is considered feasible. Even at levels below this standard, enough lead can accumulate in a child's bloodstream to affect their IQ.

Read portions of the article "Is Your Family's Water Safe?" online or read the full article in the February 2005 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

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