Quick Summary Lead is a kind of metal. People can get sick if they eat or drink something with lead in it. Unfortunately, in the past they used lead in water pipes because lead is flexible and doesn't rust. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission doesn't use lead in the water pipes that deliver water around the city. Privately owned plumbing sometimes has lead in the pipes or joints. You can more about how we remove lead for service lines with the information on this page. We’re Making System Upgrades Prior to 1950, water utilities around the country commonly used lead service lines and