Carrie Blackmore Smith

csmith@enquirer.com

Does the situation in Flint, Michigan, and now Sebring, Ohio, have you suspicious about the water coming from your tap?

Wondering whether it contains dangerous levels of lead that could cause brain damage, particularly in children?

A Cincinnati city councilman raised the alarm this week that roughly 16,000 city properties might have elevated levels of lead from lead pipes. Councilman Christopher Smitherman suggested that these taps be tested. If that ever happens, it will take some time.

Want to take action now?

Here's a quick checklist of things that can be done to protect you and your family.

1. If you are a Greater Cincinnati Water Works customer and your home was built after 1927 you probably don't need to worry. Cincinnati stopped allowing lead piping in construction at that time. But if you're house was built before 1927 there's a decent chance the pipe running to your home is lead. If you live in Northern Kentucky, however, lead pipes may have been installed up until 1955.

2. Be safe, buy a filter. J. Barry Maynard, a geology professor at the University of Cincinnati, who has studied lead pipe corrosion at length, says this is the best first line of defense. Just make sure the product you buy filters out lead. Maynard prefers the type that attaches to a faucet. If you choose a filtered water pitcher, Maynard recommends DuPont or Pur. "Just make sure you change the filter," Maynard said, as often as the product recommends.

3. It's also useful to install a whole-house sediment filter, Maynard said. The filter won't run you much - $15-$50 - and installation is around $150, Maynard said. But it has all sorts of benefits, including extending the life of appliances, such as dishwashers. The filter gets attached to your water pipe where it enters the house, usually the basement.

4. Do a scratch test. Find the pipe entering your home, usually in the basement, said Jeff Swertfeger, assistant superintendent at Greater Cincinnati Water Works . If it is a silvery metal take a coin and scratch it. If that leaves a shiny line, it's a lead pipe and you may want to take further action. If you decide to replace the pipe, call Water Works and it will replace the service line, if it is lead, at the same time.

5. Buy a tap water lead test at a local hardware store. UC's Maynard wouldn't recommend this, and neither does the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because these tests can be unreliable. Unfortunately, Consumer Reports has not reviewed these products, either. Most of the kits on the market simply tell you if there is an elevated level of lead in the water, and maybe that's all a consumer wants to know, Maynard said. Instead, he would recommend calling your water provider for a free test.

6. Call Water Works for a free water test, 513-591-7700. It will entail work on the homeowner's part. You'll have to collect samples after water has been sitting in the pipes for at least 6 hours, usually in the morning or after work. Water Works will then test it in-house or send it to a certified lab.

7. Want a third party opinion? Call the Ohio EPA's Division of Environmental Services, 614-644-4245, and ask for the list of state certified laboratories. That way, you can shop around.

8. Run the water in the tap for a little while before using it. The EPA recommends 3 minutes. The reason lead pipes aren't generally a big problem is that water utilities are required to have a lead corrosion control program, which means adding chemicals to the water that create a film around the pipe as the water flows through, keeping the water from corroding the pipe. This, in part, is what Flint failed to do. Always run the tap water cold. Never hot.

9. Don't fall for some of the more common misconceptions. Do not boil the tap water. It will not take the lead out. Bottled water could also be untested tap water. Check online at http://info.nsf.org/certified/bwpi/.

If you perform a test at your home and want to share the results with The Enquirer, contact reporter Carrie Blackmore Smith at csmith@enquirer.com.