Is it safe to wash your hands in water containing lead?

My daughter%26#039;s school has lead in its pipes...the kids were told not to drink the water but that it was ok to wash their hands in it...is this true...and how safe is this practice?...Would she be better off not washing her hands with this water?...|||You%26#039;ll be surprised what penetrates our skin on a daily basis, so I doubt it would be safe....


Buy disposable handy wipes or hand sanitizer that%26#039;s a safer route.


Look what I found for you.....





If my water has high lead levels, is it safe to take a bath or shower?





Yes, bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA鈥檚 action level. Human skin does not absorb lead in water.





This information applies to most situations and to a large majority of the population, but individual circumstances may vary. Some situations, such as cases involving highly corrosive water, may require additional recommendations or more stringent actions. At all times, your local water authority remains your first source for testing and identifying lead contamination in your tap water. Many public water authorities have Web sites that include data on drinking water quality, including results of lead testing.|||we all need to wash our hands often.





but the bigger question is where is the water going after it goes down the drain?|||Fortunately, lead is poorly absorbed through the skin. Children who develop lead poisoning generally do so through ingestion or inhalation (exhaust from leaded gasoline, or aerosolized lead-contaminated dust). As long as your child does not ingest the water, she should be fine.





Another way to think about this question is to ask, %26quot;what is the risk of NOT washing her hands?%26quot; Since many viruses and bacteria are passed by dirty hands, your child would be at a higher risk of getting sick than developing lead poisoning (assuming she doesn%26#039;t drink the water).|||Most of the pipes/plumbing of the early 50%26#039;2 thru 90%26#039;s were made of lead, steel or galvanized steel, with lead in them all. Lead should not pass thru intact skin, but may thru broken skin. Lead is usually ingested or inhaled. The benfits of good hand washing, especially in a school are positive. Not washing hands after using the toilet especially, is hazardous to anyones health, especially food handlers. Tell her to continue to wash and rinse her hands well after using the restrooms at school, but don%26#039;t drink the water! Give her bottled water to drink.|||as long as the kids don%26#039;t put their hands near their mouth but i wouldn%26#039;t even risk it