University of Central Florida

Elevated levels of lead can pose serious health risks, particularly for pregnant women and young children. Lead in tap water primarily comes from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. UCF is responsible for delivering high-quality water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components.

If your water has been sitting for several hours, you can reduce potential lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. Information about lead in water, testing methods, and steps to minimize exposure are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

MCLs (Maximum Contaminant Levels) are set at very stringent levels. To understand potential health effects for many regulated substances, a person would need to consume 2 liters of water daily at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of experiencing the described health effect.

Water sources for both tap and bottled water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over land or underground, it dissolves natural minerals, sometimes radioactive material, and can pick up substances from animal or human activity.

Contaminants potentially present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants like salts and metals, occurring naturally or from urban runoff, industrial discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban runoff, and residential uses
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants, naturally occurring or resulting from oil/gas production and mining

EPA regulations limit contaminants in public water systems, while FDA regulations establish limits for bottled water. All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. Their presence doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

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