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Understanding how brass ball valves passing certification testing can cause elevated lead in water when installed
Simoni Triantafyllidou1, Meredith Raetz, Jeffrey Parks
1Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
New brass plumbing devices can leach significant lead into drinking water, exceeding safe levels. Installed devices show higher lead levels than standard tests indicate, especially with flux present.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Lead in drinking water from new brass plumbing is a global concern.
- Certified plumbing devices have been linked to elevated lead levels in new buildings.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate lead leaching from installed brass plumbing devices.
- Understand discrepancies between laboratory leaching tests and real-world performance.
Main Methods:
- Tested certified brass ball valves known to cause issues.
- Compared lead leaching under installed conditions versus "leaching tests" (NSF Standard 61 Section 8).
- Evaluated the impact of flux and water velocity on lead release.
Main Results:
- Installed devices exhibited lead leaching orders of magnitude higher than NSF testing.
- "Normalization" methods underestimated actual tap lead concentrations.
- Flux significantly increased lead leaching; high water velocity had minimal effect.
Conclusions:
- Installed brass plumbing, particularly with flux, poses a higher lead risk than standard tests suggest.
- Current leaching tests may not accurately reflect real-world lead exposure from plumbing devices.
- Further research is needed to develop more realistic testing protocols.
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