Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL why you're not supposed to cook or drink hot tap water - it's the lead (and other heavy metals) (www.epa.gov)

submitted 1 week ago by pelespirit@sh.itjust.works to c/til@lemmy.ca

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Hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water and is therefore more likely to contain greater amounts of lead. Never use water from the hot water tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula.

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[–] prime_number_314159@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

When I moved into my house, I ran tests on my tap water, and found that my hot water had higher levels of iron and other metals dissolved in it. This is likely corrosion from the water heater tank. After I replaced the anode rod, the tests came out nearly identical.

All of the levels I found were within the legal limits for human consumption, so it would've been fine... But maybe there are cases where that isn't true. The tests were very cheap, and Home Depot near me offers a 3 test kit (including lead) for free, near the water filter section. It's worth testing to be certain.

[–] astutemural@midwest.social 2 points 1 week ago

Ah, so it was water heater corrosion. That makes more sense.