LEAD IN DRINKING WATER: A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVEINCIDENL MANAGEMENT OF LEAD CONTAMINATION IN DRINKING WATER

摘要

Lead is a naturally occurring element in the earth's crust and groundwater, although it rarely found in groundwater in the UK.1 Lead is a toxin and exposure to lead in drinking water is predominantly due to the presence of lead containing plumbing materials e.g alloys, fittings, pipes, tank linings, solders etc., or a lead service pipe. Although the use of lead in plumbing practices has been prohibited across Europe since the late 1970s. remains a potential public health concern for older properties. In the UK, national recommendations on corrective drinking water treatment i.e orthophosphate dosing and pH adjustment, were made by the then Department of the Environment2 following several national surveys on lead in the environment carried out by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the 1970s. Until the 25~(th) of December 2013, the prescribed concentration for lead in drinking water is 25 μg/1 for public water supply in the UK. From the 25l of December 2013, a nsw prescribed concentration of 10 μg/1 is to be met in the UK to coincide with the parametic value included in Council Directive 98/83/EC,4 which is a non-health based provisional guideline value set by the World Health Organization (WHO).