Testing Your Drinking Water for Lead NYSDOH English English

Testing Your Drinking Water for LeadYouTube↗ IA↗(long shot)
Education 4K views 10 likes 2 dislikes 02 Mar 2018

New York State Department of Health 7.9K subscribers United States YouTube↗

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This video shows how to sample for lead in your drinking water.

First, draw sample shows how much lead is in the water when the faucet has not been

used for many hours.

Flush sample shows how much lead is in the water after the faucet has been running.

Depending on the purpose of your sampling, you may need to collect one kind of sample

Both first draw and flush samples should be collected from the kitchen sink.

Open your sample kit and remove all the contents, carefully read through the instructions from

You will need a water proof pen to fill out sample bottle labels and paperwork.

Let’s start with first draw samples, these should be taken first thing in the morning

or any time after the water has not been used anywhere in the home for at least 6 to 8 hours.

Place signs on all the taps and toilets as a reminder.

Do that the night before if you are sampling first thing in the morning.

If the kitchen faucet has a water softener or point-of-use filter, collect your sample

from a tap that does not have either of these.

If the faucet has an aerator, it does not have to be removed.

To collect your sample, place an opened sample bottle (it may be marked “first draw”)

below the faucet opening.

Turn on the cold tap as though you were filling a regular glass of water and fill the bottle

to the fill line, or the shoulder of the bottle if a fill line is not indicated.

Be sure to capture all the water coming out of faucet and not allow any to run down the

Tightly cap the bottle, if there is a label on the bottle, fill it out as directed by

Next, if you are collecting a flush sample, run the water from the same tap for at least

Turn the water off, and place an opened sample bottle (it may be marked “flush”) below

Then, follow the same instructions.

Turn on the cold water tap as though you were filling a regular glass of water.

Fill the sample bottle to the fill line or shoulder and turn off the water.

Tightly cap the bottle and fill out the label.

Next, fill out the laboratory paperwork as directed.

Make sure that everything on the sample bottles and paperwork is complete and correct.

Place the sample bottles and paperwork into the shipping container according to the laboratory

Call the lab if you have questions.

The results will be mailed to you directly usually in about 2-3 weeks after laboratory

receives your samples.

For more information please visit the New York State Department of Health website www.health.ny.gov.

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