Should we use plastic pipes?

Q. What can you tell me about plastic piping? My plumber said he’ll be using plastic pipes because they’ll flex in tight spaces, but I’m really concerned. Will they hold up, especially with hot water, and will the joints be strong?

Also, I’ve heard about cancer-causing overuse of plastics, and I even use glass drinking bottles. Using plastic piping defeats that purpose, I believe. So what would you recommend?

A. This has been a serious debate in the plumbing industry for years. Independent and government testing revealed interesting results, mostly regarding taste and odor differences. Taste and odor vary by water district, and regionally the different types of piping have yielded varying results.

A study conducted at Virginia Tech concluded that people should ask neighbors with plastic piping for opinions on taste before installing, since the taste and odor can vary by neighborhood. The Virginia panel reported that piping taste and odor worked itself out over a few months, but also concluded that people basically adapt to the taste or smell.

Depending on the volume of use, the pipes cycle enough water to break down their surface, which may contribute to the taste and odor dissipating, but that leads to your next question.

I don’t want to create hysteria, but I personally don’t use plastic pipes, only copper, and I, too, mainly use glass bottles for drinking. Unfortunately, the searching I did to answer your question was very disappointing. First, the American Cancer Society is somewhat evasive on the topic, and the Ecology Center in Berkeley, Calif., explained that the American Cancer Society’s biggest contributors are medical instrument and pharmaceutical companies.

Profit from treatment far outweighs prevention, which may account for the lack of information. Without enough independent studies and warnings from organizations we expect to be at the leading edge, the Ecology Center’s report revealed that several types of cancers are being studied relative to abundant use of plastics, whose ingredients include deadly dioxins and biphenyl A, a hardener that leaches from plastic and has been detected in every human body studied thus far.

As I hear of more and more young couples unable to conceive, increases in several cancers and health problems, I am skeptical about introducing more synthetics into my own system. Although copper tubing is not natural, I know that traces of copper are in multi-vitamins, minerals and metals in our diet. Lack of space here to elaborate on published material available online leads me to recommend that you follow up with your own search.

My current understanding leads me to believe that until unbiased data concludes that plastics are safe for potable drinking water distribution, I wouldn’t use them just to make the installation easier. Plastic piping, even used for sewage, gray water to flush toilets and watering the garden, still joins our ground water, mixing in toxins with our drinking water later. Be cautious!

© 2008 Monte Leeper
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Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.