Safe water for mixing infant formula

The water you use to prepare your baby's formula needs to be safe. It is best to boil water and let it cool before mixing it into a powdered or concentrated formula.

Heat the water until it reaches a rolling boil, and continue boiling for at least 1 to 2 minutes. Allow the water to cool and then refrigerate it in a clean and sterile container. It may help to have a routine where you boil enough water for the day's feedings every morning.

Lead can leach into your tap water from plumbing materials and repairs. If your baby drinks formula with too much lead in it, lead poisoning can occur. If your house was built before 1986, it is more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures, and solder than a newer home. But recently built homes can also have lead plumbing parts. Even materials that are legally labeled as "lead-free" may contain up to 8% lead. The most common source of lead in modern homes is brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures. These can leach lead into the water, especially hot water.¹

If you think that the plumbing parts in your house may contain lead, use bottled water to prepare formula or let the cold water run from the tap for at least 2 minutes. This water should still be boiled.

City water usually has added fluoride. At least 0.3 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride should be in your water to promote healthy tooth development. Fluoride stays in water after it is boiled. Call your local water supply company to ask about the water fluoride level in your area. You can also have your water supply company test a sample of water if you are unsure of its purity.

Bottled store-bought water is generally not any safer than city tap water and may not contain fluoride. You should also boil and cool bottled water before mixing it with formula.

If you live in the United States, you can call state and national agencies to get more information on the safety of your drinking water.

• Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791. The EPA has general information about safe drinking water and can guide you to other resources as needed.
• Your local water supplier can give you a list of the chemicals they test for in your water, as well as how your water is treated. Your water bill will likely have a phone number listed.
• Your state Department of Health/Environment is also a valuable source of information. These phone numbers are usually found in the government pages of your local phone book.

Citations

1. United States Environmental Protection Agency (2005). Consumer Factsheet on: LEAD. Available on-line at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lcrmr/lead.html.