Peanut butter is great, but Pb is kind of not. You know, lead, the dangerous and toxic stuff that has been in paint, and has been used to build water pipes, which can lead to major issues if they corrode, putting lead directly into drinking water, as we saw in the Flint, Michigan catastrophe.
It turns out that lead pipes are a major issue, not just in Flint, but in many cities in North America. In Canada, many municipalities are mobilizing to do something about lead pipes. For example, just last Monday, Thunder Bay, Ontario’s city council approved a loan program for homeowners who need to remove and upgrade their lead service connections.
Lead pipes are also present in my hometown. I was introduced to the City of Calgary’s map of Public Water Service Lines a little while ago, which anyone can use to see if they have a lead service connection. This is an awesome, publicly available, interactive dataset that shows where all the service connections are in Calgary. You could scroll around to look up your own home and see where your service connection is, what material it is made of, and how old it is.
Here’s an example in downtown Calgary at 500 Eau Claire Ave SW. This service connection is made of ductile iron and was installed in 1981.
It’s good to be informed about your service connection, what it’s made of, and how old it is. Pipes do have a recommended lifetime before they should be replaced (probably about 50 years? Maybe less, maybe more). I checked my own house, my connection is made of copper and is about 30 years old, still going strong. I recommend taking a look at the City of Calgary’s website if you are a local and take a look around, see how your service connection is doing.
Knowing my home is has a strong copper pipe, I am grateful that the only Pb I will be exposed to is the kind I can eat.