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Different senescent HDPE pipe-risk: brief field investigation from source water to tap water in China (Changsha City)

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Abstract

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) derived from plastic pipes widely used in water distribution definitely influence our daily drinking water quality. There are still few scientific or integrated studies on the release and degradation of the migrating chemicals in pipelines. This investigation was carried out at field sites along a pipeline in Changsha, China. Two chemicals, 2, 4-tert-buthylphenol and 1, 3-diphenylguanidine, were found to be migrating from high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe material. New pipes released more of these two compounds than older pipes, and microorganisms living in older pipes tended to degrade them faster, indicating that the aged pipes were safer for water transmission. Microorganism degradation in water plays a dominant role in the control of these substances. To minimize the potential harm to human, a more detailed study incorporating assessment of their risk should be carried out, along with seeking safer drinking pipes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51222805, 51579096, 51521006 ), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University from the Ministry of Education of China (NCET–11–0129) and the National Program for Support of Top–Notch Young Professionals of China (2012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Tang, Lin Tang, Chang Zhang, Guangming Zeng, Yaocheng Deng, Haoran Dong, Jingjing Wang & Yanan Wu

  2. Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, 410082, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Tang, Lin Tang, Chang Zhang, Guangming Zeng, Yaocheng Deng, Haoran Dong, Jingjing Wang & Yanan Wu

Authors
  1. Jing Tang
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  2. Lin Tang
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  3. Chang Zhang
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  4. Guangming Zeng
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  5. Yaocheng Deng
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  6. Haoran Dong
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  7. Jingjing Wang
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  8. Yanan Wu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Lin Tang or Chang Zhang.

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Responsible editor: Ester Heath

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Tang, J., Tang, L., Zhang, C. et al. Different senescent HDPE pipe-risk: brief field investigation from source water to tap water in China (Changsha City). Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 16210–16214 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5275-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5275-z

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