How do I know if my tap water has lead?

You cannot tell by looking or tasting, so the only answer is a test. The EPA is explicit: because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in water, testing is the only way to know whether there are harmful amounts in your drinking water. Your risk map: lead pipes are more likely in older cities and homes built before 1986, and even without a lead service line, brass or chrome-plated faucets and lead solder are common sources, since lead leaches from the plumbing, not the water source. Getting tested costs between $20 and $100 at a certified lab, per the EPA, and your water supplier often has useful information and sometimes free or cheap testing, so call them first. While you wait: run the tap for a minute or two before using water for drinking or cooking if it has sat for hours, always use cold water for cooking and baby formula since hot water leaches more lead, and a filter certified for lead removal works if you need one. The stakes explain the effort: the EPA says there is no safe level of lead exposure, and young children absorb the most, so a child in an older home is also the reason to ask the doctor about a blood lead test.