In fact, almost every interior surface tested in residence halls continues to turn up lead-free. The campus has found lead mostly on old buildings exteriors such as columns and windowsill trim. These areas have been identified and abatement procedures instituted as necessary. Media attention in recent years has also highlighted the presence of lead used in solder on copper pipes. Much of the original pipe in the earliest residence halls is not copper but threaded iron pipe, and so there's no problem with lead.
Many halls do have cooper supply pipes.
Solder used to join the pipes contained lead through the late 198Os. As soon as no-lead solder became available, maintenance groups and outside contractors switched to its use. Some believe that minute traces of lead may be released into the water even after a thin coating of oxidation forms on the joint, which prevents the release of lead. Water for drinking or cooking, some recommend, should run for a minute to let the water that sat in the pipe overnight run out. As no health regulations exist, residents should use their own judgment.