A campaign is underway to protect tenants from lead in drinking water caused by the illegal use of lead solder.
Watersafe, the national register of approved installers, is urging landlords in charge of rental properties to always check plumbers working on their drinking water system only use lead-free solder or fittings which don’t need solder.
Lead can dissolve into drinking water and if it builds up in the body it can cause health issues, particularly in babies and young children.
The use of lead solder in drinking water systems is illegal. Despite this, a survey of plumbers shows a number are still using lead solder in drinking water systems and two-thirds carry it in their bags.
Julie Spinks, director of WaterSafe, says: “We’re urging anyone who has work being done on their drinking water plumbing, particularly people in charge of rental properties and those housing young families, to ask their plumber which type of solder they are using to make sure it’s lead-free. Using lead-free solder is the only safe option.”
Marcus Rink, the chief inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate in England and Wales, comments: “We must all play our part to eliminate all sources of lead, including the sale and use of lead-containing materials from plumbing in our houses to protect our future generations.”
WaterSafe is also calling on plumbers to sign its pledge to go lead-free by only carrying lead-free solder in their toolkits and only using lead-free solder.
WaterSafe is supported by all UK water companies and the drinking water regulators. Approved plumbers listed on its register are trained in the water regulations and audited. A separate survey of WaterSafe members showed much higher awareness of the dangers of lead solder.
T
This article is taken from Landlord Today