pvc (black plastic) pipe for water systems

by Rosalind
(Canada)

I live in a rural community where we build our own systems for collecting and transporting water for domestic use, including drinking.

PVC pipe is extensively used because it is cheap and available in long lengths.

I wonder if my experience of menopausal hot flashing lasting so far around 20 years could be related.

I've used epoxies and Resourcinol and suchlike occasionally in the building of boats, but my neighbours have not.

The lengthy hot flashing seems to be a common thread amongst us over 60's, much longer and stronger than certainly my mother experienced.

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Plastic Pollution
by: Anonymous

I heard a rumor that the plastic forms a sort of pellicule or surface film that keeps it from "giving off" forever, but I'm not sure if this would work if the water were running constantly or even often.

The "food grade" plastic (as in the clear stuff they use for wine-making siphons) by rights should be relatively safe and in a small system you wouldn't need much so the cost shouldn't be prohibitive.

Plastics differ.

Apparently PVC is particularly bad.

Probably anything with vinyl in it is questionable.

I once tried to siphon water (by sucking) with a vinyl garden hose that had been lying in the sun, and just about keeled over from the fumes.

Definitely extremely nauseating.

I just found a stainless steel tank for drinking water on the boat, and am going to try a piece of stainless tubing I have in my stash.

Metal fatigue might be a question here??

Any experiences out there?
Plastic Pipes
by: Anonymous

Hi Rosalind,

I sympathies with your concerns.

When I first read about these plastic toxins I was thinking about installing water storage on my boat.

So I started looking for alternatives to plastic tanks and piping, not easy.

Then it dawned on me that whatever I had on board, the water going into the tanks would all have arrived at the tap via plastic piping.

The problem for those of us who are concerned is that there is practically no information available on the make up of the various types.

What I would like to know is if the use of BPA in baby bottles and ‘sippy cups’ has been banned why is it allowed in other food containers.

And what effect are these toxins having on the people who make the containers?
Out of our depth so to speak...
by: Peter

Hmmm...
I am afraid this question is beyond my (boating) knowledge... if anything there are so many factors involved which have changed between now and our predecessors times that it might be almost impossible to say...

Maybe a gynecological forum/website would be of more help?

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