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Occurrence of nonylphenol and bisphenol A in household water pipes made of different materials

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Abstract

We assessed the occurrence of nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) in tap water supplied through polyvinyl chloride (PVC), stainless steel, and galvanized pipes. Water samples were collected from selected households in Taipei and Kaohsiung (Northern and Southern Taiwan, respectively) in different seasons to elucidate the effects of pipeline materials and ambient temperatures on NP and BPA concentrations in tap water. We detected higher concentrations of NP in tap water from households using PVC pipes (64–195 ng/L) than from those using stainless steel pipes (17–44 ng/L) and galvanized pipes (27–96 ng/L). To verify that water can absorb NP and BPA from PVC pipes, we sealed Milli-Q and tap water in PVC and stainless steel pipes to assess the potential release of NP and BPA from the pipes into the water. Both NP and BPA concentrations initially increased with contact time in the PVC pipes, and the concentration profiles during the retention appeared to be more strongly affected by ambient temperatures. Concentration variations in the stainless steel pipes were smaller than those in the PVC pipes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology under the grant number 102-2221-E-002-013-MY3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yang-Chen Cheng, Huei-Wen Chen, Wen-Ling Chen, Chia-Yang Chen & Gen-Shuh Wang

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  1. Yang-Chen Cheng
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  2. Huei-Wen Chen
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  3. Wen-Ling Chen
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Correspondence to Gen-Shuh Wang.

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Cheng, YC., Chen, HW., Chen, WL. et al. Occurrence of nonylphenol and bisphenol A in household water pipes made of different materials. Environ Monit Assess 188, 562 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5556-0

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