I have read lately about a cancer causing chemical called BPA in baby bottles and water bottles. These articles say that epoxy also includes this chemical. Is putting an epoxy lining in my pipes safe for me and my children?

-Jordan

Jordan, bisphenol-A (BPA) is the chemical you’re referring to. Testing has suggested that BPA in polycarbonate plastic bottles can leach into liquids held in them, posing a health risk. Recently Canadian authorities have taken steps to ban the sale of baby bottles made with polycarbonate and some retail outlets in the US and Canada have removed or plan to remove polycarbonate baby bottles and sports water bottles from their shelves.

Unlike polycarbonate bottles, epoxies like CuraFlo’s CuraPoxy^® which is used as a barrier coating in potable (drinking) water pipes, are certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 61 (the established governmental safety standard for drinking water system components), which ensures the product is free of unsafe levels of contaminants such as BPA.

While epoxy products are based on BPA, epoxy and polycarbonate products have vastly different chemical compositions. Unlike polycarbonate bottles, epoxies such as CuraFlo’s CuraPoxy can’t degrade to produce BPA contamination. The chemical bonds in polycarbonates are very different from those in epoxy resins. While bisphenol-A is a ‘base’ chemical used to manufacture both polycarbonates and epoxies, a polycarbonate plastic, under the right conditions, can degrade to produce BPA that can end up in liquids contained in polycarbonate bottles. In contrast, CuraPoxy (and other epoxies) will not revert back to BPA.

–Dr. Dave

Doesn’t adding an epoxy lining to pipes make them narrower? Wouldn’t that mean that there would be less water flowing through and at higher pressure?

-Patrick

Patrick, depending on the diameter of the pipe, the epoxy coating is applied to a thickness between 0.20 and 5 millimeters, resulting in a corresponding reduction in interior pipe diameters. Applied to these specifications, it has never caused velocity or delivery problems in systems. In fact, cured epoxy’s surface is so smooth that it creates less friction than new copper. So even with the reduced diameter caused by the coating, the flow rate is actually greater than an uncoated pipe. We have upgraded over 12,000 suites during the past 10 years, and to date we have not had a velocity or flow problem.

The existing copper pipes in your building may already have a coating of copper oxide (green scale), galvanized steel pipes may have extensive corrosion and buildup. While the corrosion build up in copper pipes may not be as thick as the epoxy lining we apply, the corrosion currently coating your pipes can be extremely rough, causing turbulence and reduced water flow.

By contrast, lined pipes are glassy smooth. This offers little restriction to water flow. Most importantly, unlike new pipes, they remain glassy smooth over the years and never restrict water flow.

-Brian