Lead in EU Drinking Water

Before the 1970s, water suppliers would only consider corrective action if lead concentrations of more than 300microg/l were regularly exceeded. The EU standard of 98% compliance with concentrations of 10microg/l will become a legal requirement in 2013. After a program of ortho-phosphate dosing, these standards are currently being met in England and Wales. Other EU countries have been reluctant to treat water supplies in a similar way, and programs of phased removal of lead connection pipes by water suppliers have instead been followed in some cities. Internal lead pipework is not usually removed from individual households, however, due to disruption and inconvenience.

Little in the way of corrective action has been carried out in the EU due to the lack of relevant data. The authors therefore outline health concerns, sampling methods and the worrying data describing non-compliance with EU standards which appears to be emerging.

Adverse health effects include: interference with haem biosynthesis, interference with calcium and vitamin D metabolism, gastrointestinal irritation, dullness, restlessness, irritability, poor attention span, headaches, muscle tremor, abdominal cramps, kidney damage, hallucination, loss of memory, encephalopathy, hearing impairment, gonad dysfunction and violent behaviour. Perhaps the greatest health concern associated with lead is reduced IQ in infants, however.

Within the European Union (EU), the Member States have failed to agree a harmonised monitoring method for lead at consumers' taps. Although random daytime (RDT) sampling is the most logistically feasible sampling method, it does not provide a reliable assessment of population exposure. Split-flow composite (COMP) sampling provides more reliable concentration data, but is not logistically feasible. The data arising from the sampling method review highlights that there is significant non-compliance with the lead standard of 10microg/l in some parts of the EU. From previous studies, the authors estimate that around 65% of houses with a lead pipe can be expected to exceed standard concentrations. Limited data indicate that around 25% of EU households have a lead pipe, putting 120 million people at risk in today's 27 member states.

The authors conclude that the number of samples taken must be far greater than the minimum sampling frequencies required by the EU drinking water directive. Although the total removal of all lead pipes must be the goal, there are practical difficulties as well as financial constraints. Once the health risks from lead in drinking water have been properly evaluated, solutions to these constraints must be found.

this is a good information aacosta12 - 04/12/2010 - 20:17