Impact of Household Plumbing Materials on Trace Metal Levels in Drinking Water in Regina, Canada

A study was initiated in the City of Regina, Canada to investigate the effect of plumbing material on the drinking water quality. Three rounds of sampling were conducted during November, 1994 to January 1995. Over a hundred residents participated in this study for each of the sampling rounds. Approximately 600 violations of Canadian drinking water guidelines (CDWG) maximum allowable concentration (MAC) levels were observed during the study. Violation of the MAC levels was noted to be the maximum during the first round. The effect of the area of the city on the heavy metal concentration in the drinking water samples was significant. The sampling round or the month of sampling had a significant effect on the heavy metal concentration. The effect of the type of dwelling was not significant on the metal concentration found in the drinking water. Plumbing age and the material of plumbing had a significant effect on the leaching of the heavy metals in the drinking water samples in each of the three rounds.