Plumbosolvency is the ability of a

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

, notably

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

, to dissolve

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

. In the public supply of water this is an undesirable property. In (usually older) consumers' premises plumbosolvent water can attack

pipes,

lead service line A lead service line (LSL, also known as lead service pipe, and lead connection pipe) is a pipe made of lead which is used in potable water distribution to connect a water main to a user's premises. Lead exposure is a public health hazard as it cau ...

s, and any lead in

solder Solder (; NA: ) is a fusible metal alloy used to create a permanent bond between metal workpieces. Solder is melted in order to wet the parts of the joint, where it adheres to and connects the pieces after cooling. Metals or alloys suitable ...

used to join copper. Plumbosolvency of water can be countered by achieving a pH of 7.5 by increasing the pH with

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

or sodium hydroxide (lye), or by providing a protective coating to the inside of lead pipes by the addition of

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...

at the

water treatment Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, inc ...

works. While optimal pH for prevention of plumbosolvency is 7.5, performance remains very good in the range pH 7.2-7.6. Achieving this pH has been shown to decrease population blood lead concentrations.(3, 4) Chlorinating water also reduces dissolved lead. It causes the interiors of lead pipes to become coated with lead chloride, which is very insoluble in cold water. However, lead chloride is fairly soluble in hot water. For this reason, water that is to be used for drinking or the preparation of food should never be taken from a hot-water tap, if the water may have been in contact with lead. Water should be taken from a cold-water tap, and heated in a pan or kettle that does not contain lead or lead solder.

References

# Rónan Daly, Martin Kimber. "Lead piping and plumbosolvency." Engineers Journal Volume 63, Issue 1: January/February 2009 # Moore, M.R. Plumbosolvency of waters. Nature (1973) 243 222 223 # Moore, M.R., Goldberg, A., Fyfe, W.M., and Richards, W.N. Maternal lead levels after alteration to water supply. Lancet (1981) ii: 203 204 . # Moore, M.R., Robertson, S.J., Gilmour, W.H., Murray, G.D., Britton, A., Low,R.A. Watt, G.C.M. Decline of blood lead concentrations in Glasgow. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (1998) 52 672-673 # Troesken E. "The great lead water pipe disaster" MIT Press (2006) # Higher secondary chemistry textbook (volume 2) for stateboard students Water chemistry Water pollution Lead {{Physical-chemistry-stub

See also

References