How can I tell if a faucet or plumbing device contains more than 8% lead?

In general, plumbing products that are on the market contain 8% or less lead. The amount of lead contained in the plumbing product is usually governed by its manufacturing process. In order to find out how much lead is contained in a plumbing product, you should contact the manufacturer or the importer/distributor and ask for a certificate of lead content. Another approach is to send the plumbing product to a laboratory and have it analyzed for lead content. However this approach may not be practical since the cost of the test could be several times of the purchase price the product. ... more