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Inherent variability in lead and copper collected during standardized sampling

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Abstract

Variability in the concentration of lead and copper sampled at consumers’ taps poses challenges to assessing consumer health threats and the effectiveness of corrosion control. To examine the minimum variability that is practically achievable, standardized rigs with three lead and copper containing plumbing materials (leaded brass, copper tube with lead solder, and a lead copper connection) were deployed at five utilities and sampled with regimented protocols. Variability represented by relative standard deviation (RSD) in lead release was high in all cases. The brass had the lowest variability in lead release (RSD = 31 %) followed by copper-solder (RSD = 49 %) and lead-copper (RSD = 80 %). This high inherent variability is due to semi-random detachment of particulate lead to water, and represents a modern reality of water lead problems that should be explicitly acknowledged and considered in all aspects of exposure, public education, and monitoring.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Water Research Foundation for their generous support of this study. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Water Research Foundation. Navarre Bartz, Brent Casteele, Jacquelyn Dalrymple, Christopher Stamopolous, and Justin St. Clair were invaluable with the assistance they provided in designing and constructing the metal test pieces and the pipe rigs. We would also like to thank the personnel at the five participating utilities that helped install and monitor the pipe rigs.

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  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Sheldon Masters, Jeffrey Parks & Marc A. Edwards

  2. CDM-Smith, 125 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, USA

    Amrou Atassi

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  1. Sheldon Masters
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Correspondence to Sheldon Masters.

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Masters, S., Parks, J., Atassi, A. et al. Inherent variability in lead and copper collected during standardized sampling. Environ Monit Assess 188, 177 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5182-x

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