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Chemicals that keep drinking water flowing may also cause fouling

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rangerrebew:
Chemicals that keep drinking water flowing may also cause fouling
July 25, 2018 by Lois Yoksoulian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 

Many city drinking water systems add softening agents to keep plumbing free of pipe-clogging mineral buildup. According to new research, these additives may amplify the risk of pathogen release into drinking water by weakening the grip that bacteria—like those responsible for Legionnaires' disease—have on pipe interiors.

Biofilms, which are similar to the films that grow on the glass of fish tanks, are present in almost all plumbing systems and anchor themselves to mineral scale buildups in pipes. They are teeming with harmless microbial life and incidents of waterborne illness are rare.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-07-chemicals-fouling.html#jCp

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