Amount of lead in water depends on?

• A. Water temperature
• B. Age, corrosiveness, time lead has been in water
• C. pH only
• D. Turbidity

Answer: (B)

Lead in drinking water comes from corrosion of lead-containing plumbing materials. The amount you see depends on three interacting factors: the age of the plumbing (older systems are more likely to have lead pipes or lead solder that can shed lead), the corrosiveness of the water (water chemistry—pH, alkalinity, hardness, chlorides, and the use of corrosion inhibitors—affects how easily lead is released), and the time the water has been in contact with the pipes (stagnant water sits with the lead-containing surfaces longer, allowing more lead to dissolve). Temperature can influence reaction rates, but it doesn’t by itself determine lead levels; pH alone isn’t enough to describe release, and turbidity relates to particulates rather than the dissolved lead driving exposure.