London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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the other was a sample of water after running the tap for a few minutes. The results are
set out in the accompanying table:—
| Lead content (mg/1 Pb) | Samples of water standing in lead pipe overnight | Samples of water after running the tap |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 0.01 | 10 | |
| 0.01 | 31 | 57 |
| 0.02 | 21 | 4 |
| 0.03 | 8 | 1 |
| 0.04 | 9 | 0 |
| 0.05 | 5 | 0 |
| 0.06 | 5 | 0 |
| 0.07 | 4 | 1 |
| 0.08 | 1 | 0 |
| 0.09 | 3 | 0 |
| 0.10 | 1 | 0 |
| 0.12 | 1 | 0 |
| 0.16 | 1 | 0 |
| 100 premises | 100 premises |
The above results are very satisfactory and the figures are within the limits of the World
Health Organisation European Standards for Drinking Water Quality. This states that the upper
limit for lead in running water in the supply should not be more than 0.1 mg/1 (Pb); but where
water undertakings continue to use lead piping the concentration of lead (as Pb) should not exceed
0.3 mg/1 after 16 hours contact with the pipes."