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How to Reduce Lead Exposure From Household Dust and Drinking Water

Damp-clean to control household dust, use cold water for drinking and cooking, and ask your utility or health department about testing and service-line information.
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Reduce possible lead exposure through both pathways: damp-clean and control household dust, and use cold water for drinking and cooking while arranging appropriate water testing. Dust and tap water have different sources, so one precaution cannot address both. No household action makes exposure risk-free; contact your local water utility or health department for advice specific to your home.

Why dust and drinking water need separate precautions

Lead dust can come from deteriorating lead-based paint or contaminated soil tracked indoors. Lead can enter tap water from service lines, plumbing, faucets, or fixtures. Young children are especially vulnerable because they may swallow dust on their hands or objects they put in their mouths.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says there is no known safe level of lead in a child’s blood. EPA estimates that drinking water may account for 10 to 20 percent of a person’s potential lead exposure. For infants who consume mostly formula mixed with lead-containing water, it estimates 40 to 60 percent. These figures come from EPA’s 2025 consumer notice template and are broad estimates—not measurements of a particular home or a universal share of anyone’s exposure. EPA’s 2025 consumer notice template explains the estimates.

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How do I reduce lead in household dust?

Damp-clean floors and hard surfaces

EPA recommends weekly cleaning to reduce dust that may contain lead. Wipe counters, window sills, door jambs, and other hard surfaces with a damp cloth, sponge, or paper towel. Wet-mop floors and other hard surfaces; clean paint chips or visible dust promptly with a wet wipe. EPA’s home guidance and its lead-exposure reduction actions provide further detail.

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Avoid methods that can wear paint or spread dust, including dry sweeping or dry sanding suspected lead dust or paint. Do not use steel wool, scouring pads, abrasive or solvent cleaners, power buffing, polishing machines, or a beater-bar vacuum on painted surfaces when they could damage the paint. Keep painted surfaces maintained, but do not casually disturb paint you suspect contains lead.

Keep dust from being carried inside

  • Take shoes off at the door to reduce soil tracked into living areas.
  • If work or hobbies may expose someone to lead dust, change clothes, keep work shoes and clothes away from living spaces, wash work clothes separately, and shower after dusty activities.
  • Wash children’s frequently handled or mouthed items, including toys, stuffed animals, pacifiers, and bottles.

Take precautions during older-home renovation

Work that disturbs old paint can create hazardous dust. Use a Lead-Safe Certified contractor where required, and keep children and pregnant people away from work that disturbs old paint. EPA’s recommended actions include steps for reducing exposure at home and during renovation.

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How can I reduce lead in my tap water?

Use cold water for consumption

Use only cold tap water for drinking, cooking, and making infant formula. If you need hot water, heat cold water separately. The EPA states: “Boiling water does not remove lead from water.” EPA’s information on lead in drinking water explains these precautions.

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Ask before flushing standing water

Water that has sat in plumbing may have had more time to contact lead-containing materials. Flushing can reduce that water, but how much flushing is appropriate depends on the plumbing and whether a lead service line is present and how long it is. Follow your water utility’s instructions rather than relying on a universal flushing duration.

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Clean the faucet aerator

Sediment and particles can collect in the faucet aerator. Clean it regularly, following the faucet manufacturer’s directions if needed. Ask your utility whether it has specific advice for your plumbing or local water system.

Consider a filter only if its exact model is certified for lead reduction

A properly certified point-of-use filter can reduce lead in drinking water, but the claim needs to apply to the exact filter you choose. Verify that the model is independently tested and certified to reduce lead; check that it fits your faucet, refrigerator, or pitcher setup; and follow its installation, use, and cartridge-replacement instructions. Do not run hot water through it, and replace the cartridge on schedule—a cartridge past its replacement point may work less effectively. A filter is not a guarantee that exposure risk is eliminated. See the EPA’s guidance on whether a filter will remove lead and using filters to reduce lead in drinking water.

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How can I find out whether my home has a lead hazard?

General precautions cannot establish whether a particular home has lead in its dust, paint, or water. Contact your local water utility to ask about water testing, service-line records, and local flushing advice. EPA’s Protect Your Tap guide describes how to check a service line and recommends testing drinking water. If the utility cannot identify the service line, a licensed plumber may be able to help.

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Use the sampling instructions supplied by the utility or a qualified laboratory; improper collection can affect what a result tells you. Ask locally about available testing options, instructions, cost, and any subsidy. For concerns about a child’s lead exposure, ask the child’s health-care provider or public-health department about blood lead testing and follow-up. A water test does not assess dust or paint, and a general article cannot diagnose a household hazard.

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