The water that flows from your faucet can look crystal clear and still contain dangerous levels of lead. And the threat from lead in your drinking water is more widespread than you might think. Katie Fiore lives in New York, which has one of the countrys best water supplies. Residents are told its virtually lead-free. But when Good Housekeeping tested Katies water, they found lead.

And the level of lead was higher than the federal EPAs action level. And lead was found in the water of 12-percent of the homes tested by good housekeeping

Good Housekeeping says you may have a problem even in a newer home because of brass fixtures including faucets and water meters. Those contain up to eight-percent lead.

Home test kits let you check your own water for lead, and the Good Housekeeping institute tested a variety of them with mixed results. The Home Fee Water Lead Sampling Kit from Macs Lab performed well in the tests. It costs $19.95.

You actually sample the water yourself, you mail it back to the company and they perform an analysis. Theyll send you your results within two days. Good Housekeeping found it was the most accurate test. But the institute found home kits from Abotex Lead and Lead Check Aqua difficult to use.

Makers of Abotex lead say they provide a comprehensive test, and simplifying test procedures is a serious 'ongoing ' pursuit of the company.

Makers of Lead Check Aqua say they stand behind their products and will do what is necessary to ensure that questions are answered and the customer is satisfied.

Good Housekeeping says that if you use a home kit to test your water, be sure to test it both when it first comes out of the tap and after it has run for a while. Despite what you might have heard, running the water doesnt always flush out lead and other contaminants.

Additional information for reporter/anchor:

Lead is especially dangerous to children up to age four, because their brains arent fully developed and they absorb lead more readily than older children and adults. If you have a young child, ask the pediatrician to do a lead test and to help you interpret the results. If you find lead levels that are high, your doctor can suggest ways to reduce your childs exposure.

MANUFACTURERS CONTACTS:

Abotex

www.leadinspector.com, 800-268-5323 (Dave LaChance)

LeadCheck Aqua

www.leadcheck.com, 800-268-5323 (Don Robart)

Homefree Water Lead Sampling Kit

www.macslab.com, 800-622-7522 x305 (BreeAnn Kimber)