Release of Lead to Drinking Water from Water Service Connection Valves

Lead poisoning is an important water quality parameter. The variety of adverse health effects caused by lead accumulation in the human body warrants the investigation of lead concentrations in drinking water. The presence of lead in drinking water in Iran is mostly due to pipes, fittings, brass or bronze water service connection valves, faucets, and fixtures, and other end use devices. For the purposes of this study, 10 samples of brass or bronze valves, as the major source of lead release in drinking water, were tested to determine the concentration of lead in water released from these devices. The same experiment was also carried out using 9 polypropylene valves recently introduced into the Iranian market. The results showed that lead release from brass or bronze valves was responsible for a major portion of drinking water lead concentrations that ranged from 7 to 700 times its maximum allowable limit for drinking water. In contrast, the amounts released from polypropylene valves into drinking water were found to be much less such that half the samples contained lead levels below the maximum allowable limit.