Drinking Water from Plastic Pipes: Is It Harmful?

From the 9 November 2011 Science Daily article

 Pipe-in-pipe systems are now commonly used to distribute water in many Norwegian homes. The inner pipe for drinking water is made of a plastic called cross-linked polyethylene (PEX). Are these pipes harmful to health and do they affect the taste and odour of drinking water?…

…

The study showed:

• There are no health risks associated with drinking water from PEX pipes
• A few types of PEX-pipe may cause prolonged undesirable taste and odour if the water remains in pipes over time
• Although the taste and odour usually dissipate with use, water from two of the PEX types still had an unpleasant smell and taste after a year
• The level of volatile organic compounds that leaked from new PEX pipes was generally low
• The level was further reduced with use
• No correlation was found between production method and leaking products

Read the article

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