Thanks to the IVARIO test kits, anyone can quickly, easily, and cost-effectively detect hazards and risks in their environment professionally - without a degree in chemistry. Where a risk of lead exists, water companies treat the water with orthophosphate to reduce the problem significantly. The readings on dozens of other contaminants—which in most cases showed “none detected”—were also similar.

Ask your surveyor to check the nature and condition of the outside and internal pipes as part of the survey, making special mention of lead. If you use well water, the EPA recommends getting a radon test; its Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) can advise you on qualified local labs. When taking the water sample, I followed the kits’ instructions as well as general best practices for water testing.There is no known safe level of lead exposure, and the amount of lead that a human body can handle without adverse effects varies based on factors such as age, weight, and overall health.

If your property pre-dates 1970, and has had the kitchen or plumbing system renovated since then, the chances are that pipes will have been ripped out and replaced with copper or plastic but it’s always worth checking. Bang-for-the-Buck just lists your sample’s readings and the EPA’s limits in a black-and-white chart. Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.We strongly advise You to read the terms and conditions and privacy policies of any third-party web sites or services that You visit. Water is considered to be hard if it has a high mineral content such as salts containing calcium and magnesium.

The Tap Score Advanced City Water Test is our pick among all the test kits—both DIY and send-away—we looked at. Lead is commonly found in UK drinking water, particularly in houses built before the 1970s when lead pipes were frequently used.A project was then launched to develop and test a protocol for use in the field by the City of Montreal’s teams: this would measure lead concentrations at the tap to detect an LSL. So we worked with Pace Analytical—a national water testing firm, whose credentials appear here—to do extensive testing and give us an independent measure of what was in the tap water at my apartment in Queens, New York.