155
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 year ago by to c/til@lemmy.ca
81 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Even without lead pipes, if you have an electric water heater, the sacrificial anode rod leaches all sorts of shit. Seriously, just use cool water in a kettle. Mine usually takes less time than my pipes do to warm up when washing dishes.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    If you have a high pressure hot water system, then the heater doesn't touch what comes out of the tap. In those you have a closed system from the heating to a tank. That tank contains fresh water, but the heating loop only interacts with it via a heat exchanger.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •