LEAD IN COLUMBUS, OH TAP WATER

Lead is a potent toxin that can cause a myriad of health effects, most notably adverse effects in pregnancy and neurological changes in children. Due to the health effects of lead exposure, regulations are in place to minimize lead exposure to the public. This study focuses on lead concentrations of tap water in Columbus, OH, and how the presence or absence of a lead service line impacts household tap water lead levels. The change in sampling directives from the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule (1991) to the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (2021) were also examined. Buildings were selected for sampling in north-central Columbus to include a mix of service line compositions according to published data from the Columbus Department of Public Utilities. Samples were collected using the clean hands/dirty hands technique of trace element sampling, and then analyzed for lead using an ICP-MS, major cations and anions were also analyzed in the tap water samples. We hypothesize that buildings stated by the Department of Public Utilities to have possible lead and galvanized service will have higher lead concentrations than buildings without lead or galvanized service lines. In addition, at each site two samples were taken using the 1991 Lead and Copper Rule method of sampling the first liter of tap water and the 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions method of sampling the fifth liter. Data from these will be combined to assess the different collection protocols. Our previous work on tap water from numerous Ohio State University campus buildings indicates low, but measurable amounts of lead in all samples with a mean concentration of 1.2 μg/L (n=20).