Our drinking, cooking, and washing water comes into contact with water intake pipes every day, which are one of the only materials that directly contact this liquid. Material choices used in water pipes have significant impacts on our health and the health of the planet, and HBN recently published a new Water Pipes Hazard Spectrum that examines how different materials used for water intake pipes affect human health.
When making a product decision, Water Pipe wholesale is a crucial factor, and it must be taken into account. We prefer copper over plastic in most situations when joining without soldiers, fluxes, or other filler materials. In spite of the fact that mining and smelting copper can cause environmental health impacts, evidence suggests that plastic products present greater health concerns during the use phase and at the end of their useful life than copper products.
Hazard Spectrum of Water Pipes
To improve upon your current practice, you can benchmark it against the HBN Water Pipe Hazard Spectrum. When considering products, those in green categories are typically the most suitable, whereas products at the bottom of the spectrum, in red shades, should be avoided. From a health hazard perspective, those in-between offer a variety of options. Check out our Pipes Hazard Spectrum for more information and to learn more about our guidance.
In our research, we focused on intake pipes inside buildings, so we cannot apply the findings and recommendations to pipes outside buildings, or to pipes carrying waste water away from buildings. In light of the problem of contaminated water supplies in many communities, our recommendations are meant to complement, and not to substitute, existing guidance.
Impacts On Human Health And The Environment
Water intake pipes can be made of copper or a range of plastic materials. From the impact on human health to the environmental impacts, each type of material has pros and cons.3 The global plumbing pipe market will be worth $11.8 billion USD in 2021 and will continue to grow.
Impacts of Manufacturing
Copper
Mining copper can negatively impact the surrounding communities a great deal. Sulfuric acid, for example, can be released copper mines into the air and into waterways. Health problems can result from these releases, as well as damage to near crops and corrosion to near buildings.
Copper has the advantage of having the potential for recycling, making it a better match for circular economy principles than plastic. The majority of copper pipes are usually composed of recycled copper, reducing the amount of virgin copper mined and thus reducing environmental impact.
Impacts of Product Use
Chemicals may be released into drinking water when pipes are in contact with it. There are more chemicals used in plastic pipe manufacture than copper pipe manufacture, and some of these chemicals can leach or break down into other chemicals which also leach. The organotin stabilizers used in the manufacturing of PVC and CPVC pipes, for example, can leach into drinking water and harm the reproductive system.
Summary
Among the most valuable resources that enter our homes, workplaces, and communities are water pipes. Although there are no water pipes untouched impacts, the Water Pipe Hazard Spectrum offered HBN is a simple way to compare your current practice with the better options available. It is our hope that water pipes will be continuously innovated to provide healthier and safer solutions in the future.