[Catalist] A Study in Environmental Chemistry: Lead in portable Drinking Water

[Roy Skinner]

I find it strange that suddenly minute amounts of lead in water is a problem.

I lived in a house in UK for 20 years where waste pipes were all lead and water pipes were all soldered with lead. The Romans had water pipes made of lead also.

I always understood that lead itself is not poisonous as it is not soluble in water so it cannot get into the bloodstream unless converted to a soluble salt. I have also had mercury fillings since I as a child which, my dentist assures me is no problem for the same reason – mercury compounds are mostly insoluble. If you drank mercury it would actually do you no harm but pass straight through.

I suppose the problem might come if there was a bacterium that converted lead or mercury into soluble compounds such as methyl mercury, but I very much doubt this.

I have lived for over 60 years with mercury in my mouth and I think I am getting ever more intelligent – so what exactly is the problem with small amounts of lead in water?

Roy

 

From: Catalist [mailto:catalist-bounces at lists.stawa.net] On Behalf Of Michael McGarry
Sent: Friday, 21 April 2017 7:50 AM
To: catalist at lists.stawa.net
Subject: [Catalist] A Study in Environmental Chemistry: Lead in portable Drinking Water

 

Greetings Science Colleagues,

ABC URL: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-20/govt-to-pay-lead-contamination-fix-perth-childrens-hospital/8457388

The above ABC online news report motivated me to conduct www research into the causes, distribution and degree of lead contamination in Australian drinking water. [There is a serious lack of Australian webpages informing lead in drinking water.]

Dosing of portable water with Phosphates

The dosing of portable water with phosphates can reduce lead contamination.

URL: http://orendatech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Potable-Water-Treatment-phosphates.pdf

Does phosphate dosing provide a long-term solution to lead contamination of portable drinking water?

“Brass fittings to blame for lead scare: Government” [ABC news story]

“Mr Wyatt [WA State Treasurer] said it was the Government's view the lead contamination was a result of the de-zincification of brass fittings in the pipes.”

Given that the alloy brass is mainly a solid, blended mixture of copper and zinc metals surely manufacturers of brass would never attempt to de-zincify brass?

Lead content in Brass

Brass can be lead free or leaded brass. Lead metal is added to brass to increase the machinability of the brass during manufacture of plumbing fittings, e.g., taps.

During machining of leaded brass for taps, patches of lead metal concentrate on the surface of the leaded brass. These patches of lead on the inside of the leaded brass taps, especially hot water taps, leach into the water.

Were lead-free brass plumbing fittings used in the building of the Perth Children’s Hospital? Do Australian Federal and State government regulations require the installation of lead-free brass fittings in the pluming of Hospitals? [Stainless steel taps do not contain lead metal!]

Lead affects brain development in children resulting in learning difficulty.

Mayo Clinic URL: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/dxc-20275054

Additional URL’s that inform causes and distribution of lead contamination in water.

URL 4: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2100806-lead-in-australias-drinking-water-is-leaching-from-brass-taps/

URL 5: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101111141849.htm

URL 6: http://dwi.defra.gov.uk/research/completed-research/reports/DWI70-2-287exsum.pdf

URL 7: http://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2010/11/111710-engineering-edwardsunc.html

URL 8: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02670836.2016.1220906

Best Wishes,

Michael John McGarry



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