AWWA WQTC64036

Concerns over lead leaching from brass in drinking water, and growing concerns over adverse health effects from low level lead exposure, have spurred consideration of substitutes for lead in brass alloys. Three families of non-leaded brasses are currently commercially available. Envirobrass®, Federalloy® and ECOBRASS® have no added lead and have comparable mechanical properties. An in-depth review of the available literature on non-leaded brass revealed that these alloys release minimum amounts of lead, and other metals of concern, to drinking water. These preliminary studies on leaching potential and corrosion behavior/mechanical strength suggest that non-leaded brasses provide an attractive alternative in terms of protecting public health, and in many cases will perform adequately in water systems. However, legitimate concerns over performance of the alternative alloys remains widespread and only limited field data has been gathered to date. Includes 29 references, tables, figures.