Why first-use morning water can matter when preparing a baby's bottle

Lead concentration in tap water rises with the length of time water stands in contact with the plumbing. The longest such period in most households occurs overnight, which is when the first feed of the morning is prepared.

Olympian Water Testing provides professional lead in water testing for families with newborns, expectant parents and households throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Stagnation is the dominant variable for anything the plumbing contributes, which is why pre-sampling instructions are provided when the selected lead protocol requires a defined stagnation period.

Running the tap briefly before drawing water for drinking or preparation reduces what reaches the glass, since it clears water that has been standing in the fixture and the branch line behind it.

Lead is picked up where water contacts components containing it: the water service line, lead tin solder at pipe joints, and brass along the length of the supply path.

The components capable of carrying lead in a current system include faucet cartridge housings and stems, tub and shower mixing valves, angle stops and shutoff valves beneath sinks and behind appliances, ball and gate valves on domestic hot and cold isolation, backflow preventers and pressure reducing valves, water heater nipples and relief valves, hose bibbs and exterior spigots. Even certified lead free fixtures return measurable lead on analysis, so assessment is warranted whatever the age of the property.

For an infant the exposure route is ingestion rather than skin, since bath water is swallowed and washcloths are mouthed.

In many properties the kitchen and the bathroom sit on different branch lines and were altered at different times, so both are included in the assessment rather than one being assumed to represent the other.

Our reporting identifies each sampling point, the method applied, the reporting limit and the measured concentration for each draw in the sequence.

Olympian Water Testing has served households across the region since 1991 with NELAP accredited laboratory analysis. Questions concerning a specific child are directed to a pediatrician.