Lead, cancer-causing chemicals found in popular faucets sold online

There's growing concern about what might be coming out of your faucets and showerheads — and it's not just water.

New recalls reveal some plumbing parts, most of them manufactured overseas, may be leaching lead into your home's water supply.

NBC 5 Responds helped get several of those recalled products off the market after we noticed they were still available for sale despite the recall.

If you purchased faucets or showerheads online within the last five years, new testing shows they may contain chemicals linked to cancer.

They look just like faucets from high-end brands but come at a fraction of the cost.

"It's easy to just get it online delivered to your house. And you never think that they're not safe for use," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who represents Illinois' 8th District.

Sen. Duckworth said the issue first came to her attention while working on a federal infrastructure bill to remove lead from drinking water.

"So imagine my surprise when I found out that after you replace all those lead service lines, you can still have lead problems because people are buying faucets and shower heads made in China, and they're actually leaching lead into the water supply," said Duckworth.

At Duckworth's urging, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued recalls and a public safety warning for several faucets sold on Amazon that were found to have unsafe levels of lead. It said the lead can be especially harmful for babies, young children and pregnant women, causing neurological issues and lower IQ scores.

The recalls were also the result of new testing from American faucet brand Moen, which partnered with an independent international plumbing certification agency.

Testing found 17 of the 19 top-selling, foreign-made faucets purchased online failed to meet national drinking water standards. Most retailed for between $20 and $50. Eleven tested positive for lead and 15 for organic compounds linked to cancer, birth defects and organ damage.

According to Moen, more than 35 million of these potentially dangerous faucets were sold to consumers in the past five years.

"The consumers need to know to please look, if you bought a faucet or a handheld showerhead anytime in the last couple of years, look at the recall listings," said Sen. Duckworth.

The CPSC said none of the Chinese manufacturers agreed to a recall.

At the time of the recall, NBC 5 Responds found products from seven of the nine brands called out by CPSC and recalled are still for sale on Amazon. Those brands include: Vesla, Kzh, Nictie, Hgn, Kicimpro, Vfauosit, Qomolangma.

"We're also going to push for 100% testing to make sure that these, you know, items that are made overseas meet U.S. standards," said Duckworth.

After NBC 5 Responds reached out to Amazon to ask why it was still selling those recalled products, it removed some of the listings.

In a statement, Amazon told us: "We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable U.S. laws and regulations. We are aware of the CPSC warnings regarding these products and are in the process of removing all products in scope of these warnings. The selling partners in question are working directly with the CPSC to determine the scope of potential public recalls of these products. In general, if a selling partner fails to work in good faith with the CPSC, we will step in to remove products, alert customers, and provide refunds."

The CPSC said consumers should immediately stop using the faucets, and until they are replaced, people should only drink from them after running the water for about 15 seconds.

Sen. Duckworth advises consumers to buy American when it comes to faucets and showerheads, because American-made plumbing products are held to specific safety standards, including lead testing.