What Is Safe Piping?
Pipes help ensure the healthy, safe operation of nearly every building type: homes, schools, workplaces, industrial facilities, and other structures. Designed and installed correctly, they can perform reliably for decades. But when materials and systems fail, the impacts can be devastating — contaminated water, sewage leaks, exposure to toxic chemicals — and fixing problems can take years.
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Share the best information on safe, resilient, and sustainable piping systems that not only improve building performance, but also the health of the people inside.
Health Risks Associated with Piping Materials
Plastic piping is a cheap option for drinking water systems. Ongoing research into the chemicals that leach into drinking water from PEX, HDPE, MDPE, and PVC pipes raises questions about long-term safety. Chemicals used as flame-retardants, softeners, and coatings all diffuse into water, especially at elevated temperatures. This video gives a simplified illustration of the processes at work – our look at new leaching research provides more details on areas of specific concern.