Important Health Message About Lead in Your Tap Water

If your houses was built before the mid-1950's, it may have lead pipes!

Lead has the most impact on the fetus, infants and children under six years old, and can affect the brain and nervous system. Lead can dissolve into your drinking water when the water stands for more than a few hours in the pipe (or "service line") that connects the underground watermain to your house.

Over the next several years, the City will be replacing the part of your service line that goes up to your property line. To permanently reduce lead in your drinking water, you can replace your part of the pipe, which goes from your property line up to the water meter.

Here are some tips to protect yourself until your water service line is replaced:

1. Flush the pipes if your water has not been used for more than a few hours. Do this by running the water until it is very cold and then letting it run for at least one minute.

2. When using tap water for cooking, drinking or making baby formula, begin with cold water.

3. Breastfeed your baby. The amount of lead in breast milk is much lower than in tap water.

4. Install an end-of-tap water filter certified by the National Sanitation Foundation. Look for "NSF-53 for lead removal/reduction" on the label.

5. Consider using bottle water for drinking or making baby formula, or consider using ready-to-feed formula.

For more info about water pipe replacement and rebates for water filters, visit Toronto Water at: www.toronto.ca/water/lead or call 311.

For more info on lead and health, visit Toronto Public Health at: www.toronto.ca/health/lead or call 416-338-7600