We checked with the WaterSafe and learned the following:

According to the manufacturer, "Our Watersafe® Lead Test Kit can detect dissolved lead at levels below the EPA Action Level of 15 parts per billion (ppb)."

To test for what some call total lead, which would include particulate lead and free dissolved lead you would need to send a water sample to a laboratory where they would more than likely perform some sort of acid digestion to break down the all forms of the metal into a detectable state.

Testing for metals in general?

For most folks the first step in determining what, if any advanced metals testing needs to or should take place involves taking a look at a water sample to see if it contains metals at all.  For that task the SenSafe Heavy Metals Check product works well since it detects a wide range of metals and gives a total metal concentration as its result.

SenSafe Heavy Metals Check will not tell you what metal(s) it detects or give individual metal concentrations, but rather it adds any observed concentrations together into a single value.  If that value seems 'high', then you may want to consider testing for metals of particular interest due to their potentially hazardous nature if consumed in drinking water.  Those metals may include (but are in no way limited to) lead, mercury, chromium and/or arsenic.

Other metals such as copper, zinc, iron, manganese may pose health hazards in really high concentrations, but typically water supplies will not contain levels that high without man-made influence(s).  Metals like these can, however, cause aesthetic problems at lower concentrations and some may cause damage to plumbing in the form metallic deposits that restrict water flow.

“A recently completed study by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection found the testing methods it requires water utilities to use nationwide systematically misses high lead levels. That can pose health hazards for everyone living in older homes, most of all for children.” ( source )

So… How did the older methodology of testing for dissolved lead in city water (all over the US and not just in Chicago!) fail? Quite simply, the old testing method focused primarily on the plumbing leading from the water connection at the water main out to the faucet… and disregarded the possibility that older service lines contained in an area’s infrastructure may contain lead components.

Potential sources of lead in drinking water:

• Residences constructed before 1986 more than likely have lead service lines between the building and the water main.
   
• Some homes may have copper piping joined together using solder that contains lead.
   
• Some brass faucets may contain trace amounts of lead that could leach into the water over time.
   
• Work done to repair damaged, older water mains will sometimes result in higher than normal amounts of lead finding its way into drinking water.

As a general rule health officials and water quality professionals all agree that lead in drinking water causes health problems — especially in the young and the very old.

Can the average person test for lead? Of course! WaterSafe manufactures an easy-to-use lead in water test kit that lets a person know if their water sample contains 15ppb or more dissolved lead.

Why 15ppb dissolved lead? The USEPA set the MCL (maximum contaminant level) for lead in its Primary Drinking Water Standards at 15ppb, meaning if a public water supply contains 15ppb (or more) of dissolved lead, the water treatment facility must take immediate action to correct the situation.

For additional information on lead in water, we suggest taking a look at the lead in drinking water information page on the USEPA web site.