The nature of corrosion products in lead pipes used to supply drinking water to the City of Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Corrosion products, obtained from lead service pipes carrying the public dr inking water supply to the Glasgow area, have been characterised by FTIR sp ectrometry, powder x-ray diffraction spectrometry, flame atomic absorption spectrometry and ion chromatography. As expected, the products which formed in the presence of pH adjusted-water were mainly lead carbonate or basic l ead carbonate. products from areas where the water supply had been treated with orthophosphoric acid and pH adjustment for up to eight years also cont ained a variable proportion (up to similar to 30% w/w) of a phosphate speci es. This has been identified as an apatite, most probably lead hydroxyapati te, Pb-5(PO4)(3)OH.