On a recent weekend, I was catching up on the news and goings-on when I came across this article published on the front page of a well-known national newspaper that caught my eye: “PVC pipes are called a health hazard.” In the back of my mind, I thought “wait, what?!”
We see numerous projects with plumbing systems that include PVC-based piping products every year. The basis of the article was a report from a coalition of U.S. environmental advocacy groups warning of the health risks of PVC plastic, urging public officials not to use the material in community water drinking pipes. The crosshairs seem to be placed on water service distribution piping and networks being replaced due to age, and where the current White House administration allocated $15 billion in 2021 through the EPA for communities to replace lead service lines. The concern referenced in the report was “health consequences from chemicals in PVC pipes leaching into the drinking water.”