Mineralogical Evidence of Galvanic Corrosion in Drinking Water Lead Pipe Joints.

ABSTRACT: Galvanic corrosion as a mechanism of toxic lead release into drinking water has been under scientific debate in the U.S. for over 30 years. Visual and mineralogical analysis of 28 lead pipe joints, excavated after 60+ years from eight U.S. water utilities, provided the first direct view of three distinct galvanic corrosion patterns in practice: (1) no evidence of galvanic corrosion; (2) galvanic corrosion with lead cathode; (3) galvanic corrosion with lead anode. Pattern 3 is consistent with empirical galvanic series (lead → brass → copper in order of increasing nobility) and poses the greatest risk of Pb exposure. Pattern 2 is consistent with galvanic battery reversion. The identification of copper-sulfate minerals (Pattern 2), and lead-sulfate and lead-chloride minerals (Pattern 3) in ga

SUBMITTER: DeSantis MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6363004 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature