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POU devices in large buildings: Lead removal and water quality
Author(s) -
Deshommes Elise,
Nour Shokoufeh,
Richer Benoît,
Cartier Clément,
Prévost Michèle
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.5942/jawwa.2012.104.0058
Subject(s) - pou domain , tap water , environmental science , water quality , environmental engineering , chemistry , biology , ecology , biochemistry , gene expression , homeobox , gene
The performance of point‐of‐use (POU) devices to remove dissolved and particulate lead (Pb) and their effect on tap water quality were investigated in a large building under typical usage patterns and during one year. Both forms of Pb were efficiently removed, although materials downstream of the POU devices slightly increased total Pb levels at the tap. No evidence of POU breakthrough was observed following stagnations carried out before sampling. Although measurements of heterotrophic place counts and total and live bacteria on the POU material itself indicated no significant colonization, small but significant increases in viable bacteria at the tap suggest that colonization occurred in the piping and tap downstream of the POU devices in the absence of chlorine residual. This study suggests that these devices are a useful remediation approach to control Pb in large buildings, providing that building maintenance procedures are issued for POU devices.