A major uproar occurred in Tasmania and other parts of the world after the Department of Health and Human Services discovered that stainless steel water tanks manufactured by Kingston Sheetmetal was found to contain high levels of lead. According to the Acting Director of Public Health, Doctor Mark Veitch, water tests conducted by his office reveal that the amount of lead in the tanks contained anywhere from 16.1 to 1,370 micrograms of lead per liter which is way over the acceptable ration of 10 micrograms per liter.

The stainless steel tanks in question have been in production and in the market for the past 3 years. The Kingston stainless steel tanks were sold in many parts of Australia from 2010 to 2013. People who drank or used water from these tanks for cooking, or brushing their teeth are now in danger of contamination and should be tested immediately. The same applies for animals that may have drunk water from these tanks. Contaminated water can only be used for bathing, watering plants, doing the laundry or cleaning. The water cannot be ingested in any way which means children should not bath in water from these tanks since they may swallow some of the water accidentally.

The government has also warned anyone from buying unmarked stainless steel water tanks. In addition, if a person has been using a water filter, it isn’t safe to assume that the lead has been removed from the water. The department says that not all water filters are capable of removing lead and advise water filter owners to contact the manufacturer about this feature.

Ideally, stainless steel should have zero lead content. Unfortunately some stainless steel companies add lead to reduce manufacturing costs and make more money. This is why there is a marketing hype about lead-free stainless steel products like faucets. When buying any stainless steel product whether for household use or in construction, it is always best to ask about the composition of the product. Any lead content could be an additional risk to take.