Lead

Where It Comes From in New Mexico

In New Mexico, drinking water does not naturally contain lead.¹ Instead, it gets into the water by leaching out of plumbing components like older pipes, brass fixtures, and lead solder.¹ This is most common in homes built before 1940 or between 1982 and 1987.¹˒⁴ New Mexico's water is usually "hard," which helps build a protective mineral scale inside pipes to block lead from leaking.¹ However, water can sometimes become corrosive and strip away this protective coating.¹

Health Concerns

Even very low doses of lead can cause severe damage to a child's developing brain, leading to learning disabilities and behavioral problems.¹ In adults, high lead levels can cause high blood pressure, kidney damage, and reproductive issues.¹

Babies, developing fetuses, and young children are at the highest risk.¹ A critical warning: Using warm or hot tap water to mix baby formula is incredibly dangerous.¹ Hot water dissolves lead from pipes much faster than cold water does, potentially giving an infant a toxic overdose.¹

How Climate Change Exacerbates Exposure Risks

Just like with other toxic metals, natural disasters directly increase the risk of lead in water.

Wildfires and Floods: When wildfires destroy the landscape, subsequent floods can wash lead-filled ash and legacy mining waste straight into our surface waters.⁵ Furthermore, the chemical fire retardants dropped from airplanes to fight wildfires have been found to contain toxic heavy metals, including lead.⁶

How to Mitigate Exposure Risks

If you are concerned about lead in your home, there are several steps you can take.

• Flush your pipes: If water has been sitting in your pipes for more than 6 hours, run the cold water tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using it.¹

• Only use cold water: Never use hot tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula.¹

• Test your water: State "Water Fairs" for private wells do not typically test for lead.⁷ You must use a certified private laboratory to test your specific tap water.¹

• Never boil the water: Boiling water will not remove lead; it evaporates the water and leaves the lead behind, making the poison even more concentrated.⁸

• Filter your water: Use water filters that are specifically certified to remove lead, such as certain pitcher filters or reverse osmosis systems.¹