A campaign in the US is encouraging people to run their kitchen taps for a short while before using the water to ensure better quality output.The New York Citys Department of Environmental Protection suggested that people run their tap for 30 seconds, just in case, the New York Times reported.Thats because water that sits in pipes for several hours is more likely to have lead in it, observed the paper.Indeed, it was noted that the advice was issued last month after a round of testing showed a rise in the percentage of homes with elevated levels of lead.The New York Times added that while city health officials had pointed out that the elevations were too small to pose a health threat, they were still encouraging residents to be on the safe side by running their taps until cold.Earlier this week, meanwhile, Kelly Reynolds, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona, told infozine.com that homeowners should ensure they thoroughly clear out drains when cleaning the kitchen sink.