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+--- Thread: get the lead out (/showthread.php?tid=23543)
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get the lead out - terracore - 01-25-2025
A family we know looking to buy property in Volcano had to get a water test as part of the loan process. The results showed higher lead concentrations than the EPA allows.
Surprisingly (to me anyways) the water test guy said the high lead content was likely from the volcano, and the house has been empty so the water hasn't been getting flushed through the system. He recommended draining the tank and filling it with county water and retesting.
This made me curious about our own water supply, even though the winds usually carry the worst of the volcano air away from us. I tested the water both at the tank and from a faucet after going through our filters and both of them showed no measurable amounts of lead. The first test at the faucet showed elevated levels of copper, but then I realized that I forgot to let the water run for a bit, so I tested it again, and the copper level tested at no measurable level- the copper was coming from the water sitting in our pipes (so I guess the test kit works). I tested for 18 things and the only outlier was that our water was on the acidic side, which wouldn't be unusual for any type of rain water but even more for water sourced near an erupting volcano. Acidic rain can also slowly dissolves copper pipes...
So I looked up the volcano / lead thing and this is what the AI had to say about it:
"Rain affected by vog (volcanic smog) can contain elevated levels of lead, among other heavy metals. Vog is primarily composed of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and fine particulate matter emitted from volcanoes, such as Kīlauea in Hawaii. When these emissions interact with the atmosphere, they can form acidic aerosols that may include trace metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury. These metals originate from volcanic gases or fine ash particles.
When vog particles mix with moisture in the atmosphere, they can be deposited onto the Earth's surface through rain (a process called "wet deposition"). The rainwater in vog-affected areas may thus carry higher concentrations of these toxic elements, depending on the composition of the volcanic emissions, the distance from the source, and the environmental conditions.
If you suspect vog-affected rain in your area, it’s a good idea to avoid drinking it or using it for crops without proper filtration and testing."
In a rain catchment tank, would water with lead in it have higher concentration of lead in the bottom of the tank versus the top?
"Yes, water with a high level of lead in a rain catchment tank can have a higher concentration of lead at the bottom of the tank compared to the top, primarily because lead particles tend to settle over time. Here's how it works:
- Lead as Particulates: If the lead in the water exists as suspended particulate matter (e.g., small solid particles), gravity will cause these particles to settle to the bottom of the tank over time, resulting in a higher concentration of lead in the sediment at the bottom.
- Chemical Precipitation: If the water chemistry causes lead to form insoluble compounds (like lead sulfates or lead carbonates), these compounds can precipitate out of the water and accumulate at the bottom.
- Tank Sediment: Over time, other debris, like organic material or dust, also settles in the tank. Lead particles often bind to this sediment, further increasing lead concentrations in the lower layers.
Recommendations for Catchment Systems
- Regular Cleaning: Clean the bottom of the tank periodically to remove sediment where lead might concentrate.
- Water Testing: Regularly test the water, especially after cleaning or stirring up the sediment.
- Filtration: Use filters certified for lead removal to treat the water before use.
- Avoid Stirring: Minimize disturbance of the tank to prevent resuspension of settled lead particles.
RE: get the lead out - HereOnThePrimalEdge - 01-25-2025
looking to buy property in Volcano
Do you know if it was village, golf course, Mauna Loa Estates?
RE: get the lead out - MyManao - 01-25-2025
looking to buy property in Volcano
Once, 10 yrs ago or so, geochem had a student? a whole class? that did a study of the ph in rainwater in tanks in Volcano. I don't remember if it covered Lower Puna or just mauka, but we participated, and our water, which I had not adjusted (with baking soda) since before a series of storms, in the Farm Lots, tested at 3.4.
RE: get the lead out - terracore - 01-25-2025
(01-25-2025, 01:11 AM)HereOnThePrimalEdge Wrote: looking to buy property in Volcano
Do you know if it was village, golf course, Mauna Loa Estates?
Golf course.
RE: get the lead out - TomK - 01-25-2025
(01-25-2025, 04:03 AM)MyManao Wrote: looking to buy property in Volcano
Once, 10 yrs ago or so, geochem had a student? a whole class? that did a study of the ph in rainwater in tanks in Volcano. I don't remember if it covered Lower Puna or just mauka, but we participated, and our water, which I had not adjusted (with baking soda) since before a series of storms, in the Farm Lots, tested at 3.4.
I would assume this was reported somewhere. Do you have a link to the report or paper?
RE: get the lead out - Obie - 01-25-2025
The lead isn't a component of the vog.
It's the acidic rain that leaches lead out of everything it touches.
From USGS:
Many homes on the Island of Hawai`i rely on rooftop rainwater-catchment systems to provide their drinking water. In 1988, the drinking water of nearly 40% of homes using such systems in the Kona Districts of the island was found to be contaminated with lead leached by acid rain from roofing and plumbing materials, such as nails, paint, solder, and metal flashings.
https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs169-97/
RE: get the lead out - TomK - 01-25-2025
Yes, I get that. Lead being part of volcanic gas makes no sense. It's why I asked MyManao for a citation What MyManoa seems to be claiming is that pH levels were 3.4 which means lead could dissolve there, but there's no indication there was lead there in the first place.
RE: get the lead out - Durian Fiend - 01-25-2025
Was the water tested directly from a catchment tank or coming out of a faucet? If it's an older house the plumbing could be leaching lead.
RE: get the lead out - Obie - 01-25-2025
Yeah, lead solder was banned in copper plumbing in 1986. Anything built before that date would definitely be a problem and since there was no enforcement, plumbers could have used stock on hand for several years after that.
Bronze fittings that contained lead were common back then too and brass faucets used to contain lead up to that time.
Roofing panels and nails are also a major source. My house in Kapoho had an aluminum roof that was installed in 1972 and was still in perfect condition in 2018 when Pele decided to recycle my house.
The aluminum panels were fastened down with galvanized roofing nails that had a lead cap on the head.
Corrosion rusted those heads off and when I drained the concrete catchment tank the bottom had thousands of those lead pieces in the bottom.
I replaced those nails with stainless screws. At that time we had county water so the catchment was used for irrigation.
Best practice is to let the cold water run until the water in the pipes has been flushed out before drinking it and never use hot water for cooking.
RE: get the lead out - MyManao - 01-25-2025
(01-25-2025, 09:56 AM)TomK Wrote: I would assume...
Assume? Since when do scientists 'assume'?
As to that 'study' I don't know if it was a research paper or just a community service, and never saw anything published from it. It was right after Halemaumau started erupting and the community was freaked by VOG on Kona winds days. Remember when CD was closing the highway and all that drama..?
In my memory there was just geochem and some help collecting samples at the Copper Center and returning results so many days later. Although he did tell me personally that mine was the lowest results he ever got..
Maybe call CSAV and ask them?