Can polyethylene pipes impart odors in drinking water

Abstract A case study is reported which demonstrates the appearance of numerous organic compounds associated with an intense taste and odor problem during the passage of a drinking water through a 300 m polyethylene pipe. Eatch experiments showed that two principal mechanisms are involved in the occurence of organoleptic changes caused by defective polyethylene tubings; dissolution of the polymer additives (e.g. alkylphenols. . .) and oxidation of the internal surface of the pipe during extrusion with subsequent release of the resulting polar compounds (aldehydes, ketones. . .). Twenty per cent of the pipes tested (n=264) appeared to be defective and the total release time may exceed several months under low flow rate conditions.