Lead tastes sweet, which makes it attractive to children, especially to hungry children. People who work with lead products can expose their family to lead. Exposure may occur if they bring lead-covered work clothes home for laundering or wear their contaminated clothes around the home. Lead can dissolve from the solder of water pipes, particularly if the water is heated or naturally soft. Use cold water when cooking or when preparing infant formula.
Hot water tends to dissolve lead from solder in pipes.
Lead in the air results from emissions from smelting operations or waste incinerators. Soldering leaded glass, firing ceramic glazes that contain lead, melting lead or burning old lead paint can release hazardous metal fumes. If your plumbing system contains lead solder or lead pipes, running the cold water two to three minutes before using the water will usually lower the lead in the water to safe levels. Lead is a tricky poison to identify. At low or moderate levels of exposure, children often have no symptoms or they may have general symptoms like those of other common childhood illnesses.