Landlords urged to protect tenants from lead in drinking water

A national accreditation body for plumbers is warning landlords to protect tenants from lead in their drinking water.

Watersafe, the national register of approved installers, says landlords should make sure plumbers only use lead-free solder or fittings that don’t need solder when working on drinking water systems.

Lead solder, a metal alloy traditionally used to join pipes in plumbing systems, contains lead, which can contaminate drinking water.

Using lead solder is illegal and can be dangerous, as it can build up in the body and cause serious health problems.

Ask plumber which type of solder they are using

Despite lead solder being illegal, a survey of plumbers shows a number are still using lead solder in drinking water systems and two-thirds carry it in their bags.

According to the Watersafe survey, most plumbers use solder at least once a week, but only half have lead-free solder in their bags, leading to a risk of lead solder being used accidentally.

Julie Spinks, director of WaterSafe, is encouraging landlords to ask plumbers about the materials they use.

She said: “We’re urging anyone who has work being done on their drinking water plumbing, particularly people in charge of rental properties and those housing young families, to ask their plumber which type of solder they are using to make sure it’s lead-free. Using lead-free solder is the only safe option.”

Marcus Rink, the chief inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate in England and Wales, adds: “We must all play our part to eliminate all sources of lead, including the sale and use of lead-containing materials from plumbing in our houses to protect our future generations.”

WaterSafe is also calling on plumbers to sign its pledge to go lead-free by only carrying lead-free solder in their toolkits and only using lead-free solder.