To ask if bottled water is lead free?

[User112]

Brands like highland, Evian etc. are they lead free?

Why?

They're perfectly safe to drink.

Or better yet just drink tap water which (assuming you're in the UK or another developed country) also has the advantage of not contributing to the single use plastic problem.

Legally, they can have upto 10ug/l

www.gov.uk/guidance/bottled-drinking-water-rules-for-local-authorities

We are in the UK and drink tap water. I’m concerned about lead in tap water

Tap water has the same limits. Unless you have lead pipes, put it out of your mind.

If you have lead pipes, you can test the water for levels. In a hard water area, the lead is almost certainly coated in scale, blocking the lead from coming in contact with the water. I don't know about softer water areas, as I've never lived in one.

The limit above is tiny. It's 10 parts per billion, maximum.

Thanks @MaizeAmaze

How would I know if I have lead pipes? We live in a 1960s built house.

@User112

Thanks *@MaizeAmaze*

How would I know if I have lead pipes? We live in a 1960s built house.

If your house is 1960s the chances of lead piping is minimal. You can check by simply looking at the pipework. Copper water pipes are about the size of your finger and if not painted are copper coloured. Lead pipes are grey in colour and about as 2.5-3 cms in diameter.

As above, with the addition of if the pipes are greyish, see if you can scratch them slightly (means lead), or if they are magnetic (not lead)

@User112

Thanks *@MaizeAmaze*

How would I know if I have lead pipes? We live in a 1960s built house.

1960s very unlikely to be lead, most likely to be copper.

However if your house was 1860s then a much greater probability of lead assuming of course that they haven't been damaged, burst or for whatever been replaced at some point in the last 160 years (fairly high chance)

You can ask your water supplier to come out and take water samples from your property. I've just done this on the behalf on the buyer buying my late Mom's house. It literally takes 10 mins, they take 3 separate samples and they don't charge, well Severn Trent don't. You should get a report sent to you within 10 days.

Most times even in lead pipes the content is well within the limit

Lead became illegal as a plumbing material in 1966 so it will depend when your house was built (and if it's been replumbed).
Bottled water- it will depend on whether its bottled tap water or bottled spring water. There should be a list of the composition of the water o the label or the suppliers website.
From memory (I used to work in the water industry) there's about 10 times more regulations governing the supply and quality of tap water compared with bottled water.

@ultrablue

You can ask your water supplier to come out and take water samples from your property. I've just done this on the behalf on the buyer buying my late Mom's house. It literally takes 10 mins, they take 3 separate samples and they don't charge, well Severn Trent don't. You should get a report sent to you within 10 days.

Most times even in lead pipes the content is well within the limit

I'm intrigued as to why the buyer wanted that. Is this something people worry about before buying a house? Was it because of lead pipes?

We had lead plumbing to our 1860's house and we were able to get a council grant to cover about 70% (iirc) of the cost to replace. They did run tests but these were inconclusive. We replaced them anyway.