Laboratory Evaluation of an In-Situ Coating Process for Mitigation of Lead and Copper in Drinking Water

摘要

Corrosion of building plumbing can result in reduced service life and adverse health effects such as those associated with high lead blood levels, particularly in children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has established an 'Action Level' (AL) of 15 micro/L for lead and 1.3 mg/L for copper in drinking water. Army installations must comply with the increasingly stringent drinking water quality standards enacted at the Federal level and enforced by State regulations. This study evaluated the effectiveness of in-situ coatings for inhibiting lead corrosion under a variety of water quality parameters in the laboratory. The study compared the in-situ coating system to zinc orthophosphate chemical inhibitor treatment for mitigation corrosion and plumbosolvency. Results indicate that the in-situ epoxy coating provides an effective alternative to conventional chemical treatment for the prevention of lead and copper metal release in a system modeled to simulate a home plumbing system. This study also initiated operation of a Water Treatment Test Facility (WTTF) to determine its viability as a test facility to simulate a variety of water qualities in a home plumbing system. The WTTF operated reliably over the course of the 12-week study, and produced valuable information on operating procedures.