Galvanic Corrosion Causes New Lead Releases in Water Systems (IMAGE)

Washington University in St. Louis

Galvanic Corrosion Causes New Lead Releases in Water Systems

Caption

Old lead water pipes are spliced to brand new copper pipes in Dan Giammar’s lab at Washington University in St. Louis using either a plastic or a brass fitting. Homeowners end up with a similar setup if they decline to have their portion of a service line replaced. Giammar (above in red) has found that the juxtaposition of two dissimilar metals leads to galvanic corrosion that releases lead into the water.

Credit

Joe Angeles/WUSTL

Usage Restrictions

Credit required

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.