5-minute read
When Skylar Mulligan and her husband bought a 104-year-old house in Beacon Hill last year, they were prepared for updates, including having an asbestos tile roof professionally removed and covering any lead paint.
After thorough inspections, they thought they had a house that was both charming and safe.
So they were stunned to learn that their almost 2-year-old daughter, who has been having gastrointestinal issues, was suffering from lead poisoning.
Blood test results: The toddler’s blood test in late June showed 6.7 micrograms of lead — almost double the 3.5-microgram threshold that triggers warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It was high enough that “the state Department of Health called me before the result was even back to my doctor,” Mulligan said.
More testing showed that her 4-year-old daughter had a lead level of 3.4 micrograms, and Mulligan had a level of 1.2.
Another family: Another neighbor, who moved to Beacon Hill last year and is pregnant with twins, had her 1950 bungalow completely replumbed after her 15-month-old’s blood test in June showed a lead level of 4.9 micrograms.
The moms don’t know how many other children might be affected. Some pediatricians test for lead at infants’ 12-month well visit, but it is not routine afterward.
The CDC emphasizes that lead is toxic and there is no safe level of lead, especially for children because of their smaller body size, rapid metabolism and active brain development. “Even low levels of lead in the blood can negatively impact a child’s health and should be viewed as a concern,” the website says.
Checklist: Common sources of lead
- Lead-based paint that is chipped, dusty or peeling, particularly on window sills
- Drinking water from older plumbing that contains lead pipes or lead solder
- Soil contaminated by industrial sources or leaded gasoline, particularly near major roadways or intersections
- Lead-glazed ceramic ware, clay pottery and leaded crystal
- Faucets or plumbing fixtures made of pewter or brass
- Food, including imported candies containing dried fruit
- Spices packaged and imported from from other countries, including coriander, turmeric, chili powder, curry powder, cloves, anise seeds and whole chili
- Imported cookware made from aluminum, brass and aluminum alloys
- Traditional medicines and cosmetics, particularly powders and pastes. They include ba-baw-san (China); daw tway (Thailand and Myanmar); greta and azarcon (Latin America); ghasard (India), kajal, surmaor kohl (Africa and Middle East); and sindoor (Hindu and Sikh cultures).
- Jobs and hobbies: Parents may bring lead home on clothing or shoes from activities like making stained glass, refinishing antiques, repairing radiators, recycling batteries, making ammunition or fishing sinkers, and working in shooting ranges.
- Metal or painted toys, playground equipment, keys, batteries and jewelry
- Mini or Venetial blinds made outside of the United States
Home lead test kits are sold at most hardware stores and online. For more accurate results, contact an environmental inspection professional.
City joins in efforts
After months of looking for sources of exposure, the women believe the lead is coming from their water. The source could be city-owned pipes beyond their meters, pipes and fixtures serving their homes, or a combination of both.
They enlisted the help of Lakeland’s Water Utilities department, which hired an independent laboratory, Eurofins Tampa, to test the water inside both women’s homes, plus another on Comanche Trail.
The highest lead value found in the 16-page report was .0026 milligrams per liter at Mulligan’s house on the first draw, after water had been stagnating — about 1/6 of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “action limit” of .015 mg/L. There was no detectable lead in the second draw, after the water had run.
The city has had crews in the historic neighborhood for three weeks, digging to check service lines. The same thing is happening across the Lakeland utility’s service area.
City water officials scheduled a meeting for Beacon Hill residents on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, that lasted 3 1/2 hours. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
A dozen Beacon Hill residents met with Lakeland water officials on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
A dozen Beacon Hill residents met with Lakeland water officials on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow 
Water Utilities Director David Bayhan holds a lead “gooseneck” connector removed from the Beacon Hill neighborhood. 
Water Utilities Director David Bayhan and Compliance Manager Tania McMillan explain what the city is doing to ensure there are no lead service lines in its system. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow
Community meeting: Water Utilities Director David Bayhan and six managers met with a dozen members of the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Association for 3½ hours on Sunday.
The water utility said:
- The city has inspected 134 of the 185 service lines in Beacon Hill so far.
- It has not found any lead service lines, but it has removed and replaced 11 lead connectors, often called “goosenecks” — three on West Maxwell Street, four on Cherokee Trail, two on West Beacon Road and one each on Hiawatha and Shawnee Trails.
- The goosenecks were connected to galvanized pipes serving 15 homes.
- Water samples collected from the 15 homes before and after the goosenecks were removed either had undetectable levels of lead or trace amounts well below the EPA’s threshold of concern. (The highest value was .0031 mg/L, which is about 1/5 of the “action limit.”)
What is a gooseneck?
Goosenecks are curved connectors. Each typically links one or two homes to the city’s main. Lead was a popular material for these until 1986 because it was durable but could be easily bent. The connectors are typically about 2 feet long.
Water Distribution Manager Mike Borg said Lakeland has been removing lead goosenecks immediately upon finding them for all of his 37 years with the city, and probably longer.
What are galvanized pipes?
Galvanized pipes are iron or steel pipes dipped in a zinc coating to prevent corrosion and rust. Prior to the 1970s, the zinc coating often included up to 1.4% lead.
Although not targeted by the EPA, studies over the past decade have suggested that when older galvanized pipes corrode, lead in the original coating can be a significant source of lead in drinking water.
Aging infrastructure
Beacon Hill is one of many older neighborhoods in Lakeland. Of the 63,623 homes in the water utility’s service area, 23,963 were built before 1977, when Lakeland banned the use of lead in any water service line material.
City officials said Lakeland is continually updating its lines with PVC. There are 998 miles of service piping, and it can only work on a fraction of those each year.
The city’s water does not have detectable levels of lead when it leaves the treatment plant, but it can travel long distances before reaching the end user.
Lakeland recently submitted its initial federally mandated inventory of pipes. They found no lead service lines but many galvanized ones. The utility does not know how many goosenecks are in the utility’s network.
The EPA requires cities replace any galvanized pipes that are downstream of a lead service line because lead particles can attach to the surface of galvanized pipes and enter drinking water over time. However, it does not require removal of galvanized pipes connected to lead conduits shorter than 3 feet.
Other potential sources of lead that the EPA does not require to be removed at this point include:
- Leaded solder, which was not banned until 1986. It was often used to connect copper pipes and fittings.
- Brass faucets, fittings and valves, which could be up to 8% lead until 2014. After that, the limit was reduced to .25%.
Protective coating
Water utilities chemist Nick Vonderheide said one way the city protects residents from possible contamination from legacy pipes is by managing the pH level of the city’s water.
The city’s water treatment processes include adding small amounts polyphosphate and orthophosphate to stabilize the pH. Over time, these additives leave a protective calcium carbonate coating inside pipes, which reduces the risk of lead or copper leaching into the water.
The water utility showed residents the inside of a gooseneck with a thin barrier of mineral build-up from more than eight decades.
Point of contention
Mulligan said she appreciated the city’s efforts, but she wishes there was funding to replace all of the galvanized pipes throughout the city.
“All of the city representatives were very professional, and I could tell they really wanted to help,” she said. “But I also think that they are bound by forces out of their control, being budget and regulatory agencies.”
In the meantime, Mulligan and several other families have installed reverse osmosis filters in their kitchens. She has also been giving her children a zeolite tincture.
Both moms said their children’s lead levels have been slightly lower in follow-up blood tests.
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.