The effect of flushing on lead concentrations in drinking water

摘要

Current Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth) advice recommends flushing kitchen taps for 30 seconds each morning, because lead can leach into water that has been in contact with brass plumbing fittings for an extended period. A study of 108 Sydney households identified that a five to ten second flush was sufficient to reduce lead concentrations below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) in all kitchen tap water samples. This supports a change to enHealth recommendations, as a five to ten second flush not only meets public health requirements but is also more realistic for customers to achieve and increases water savings.