My pipes are all copper, and the hot water contains a non trivial amount of lead (from the solder used to join the pipes). I had it tested - around 20 ppb.
We don't drink or cook with the hot water, but in theory if the plumbing was PEX we could.
We don't drink or cook with the hot water, but in theory if the plumbing was PEX we could.
Post-Flint, lead is the new asbestos. Because the standard is zero tolerance, there’s alot of noise on the topic.
PEX is great, but I’d personally always go for cooper if I could afford it. We tend to learn new things about plastic and risks over time.
In 1996, they banned plumbing that is not "lead free" from being sold.
In 2011, the "lead free" definition was strengthened to a weighted average of 0.25%.