How common are lead pipes in Sheffield?

[Bruce_Shark 10]

Lawyers jumping on a band wagon to make money, what ever next?

Sorry Jeffrey.

 

Why be sorry?

 

If you splat a mosquito*, do you apologise to it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

*(Obviously, the "bloodsucker" reference is a pure coincidence).

[dan2802 53]

Lead pipes have been around for over 100 years, why the sudden panic?

[bluecanary 13]

As I'm neither a doctor nor a specialist in metal poisoning, I'm afraid that I cannot answer your question (valid though it is).

 

I take you point - but I assumed that in your professional capacity, if you're advising your clients to attempt to obtain some kind of recompense when purchasing a house with lead pipes, then there must be some evidence base for this. Is it really enough to say "well lead is known to be toxic in other scenarios, so there is a real risk associated with lead pipes"? Surely your advice should be based on solid evidence of risk, rather than vague speculation?

 

I'm not trying to be confrontational - I'm genuinely interested. As other posters have already said, the housing market is in a dire enough state at the moment, without additional factors to slow down transactions, or cause tthem to fall through.

[gnvqsos 10]

Ingestion of lead/mercury/cadmium can cause severe and irreparable illnesses (remember Minimata?)

I do not 'foresee' anything, but YW might reasonably have information rather more accurate than any other SF members!

 

Yes but the lawyer would need to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that this was attributable to water consumption and not to other sources,and thus would be very difficult to do.I have not seen the film Minimata-I presume it is a Japanese tale of mercury poisoning attributable to mackerel consumption

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

For a little about Minimata disease, see http://www.answers.com/topic/minimata-disease.

For more, see http://uk.ask.com/web?q=%22minimata%22&sm=adv&dm=all&qsrc=66&o=0&l=dir&siteid=0

[bluecanary 13]

Er - according to these links, Minimata disease is related to MERCURY poisoning, not lead.....

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

Er - according to these links, Minimata disease is related to MERCURY poisoning, not lead.....

Yes, that's the main meaning- but cadmium, lead, and mercury (being heavy metallic elements) are all dangerous.

Either way, what it connotes is wholly unrelated to the risk (or otherwise) of ingesting lead from leadlined water pipes.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Jeffrey Shaw

[bluecanary 13]

Yes, that's the main meaning- but cadmium, lead, and mercury (being heavy metallic elements) are all dangerous.

Either way, what it connotes is wholly unrelated to the risk (or otherwise) of ingesting lead from leadlined water pipes.

 

Hardly convincing evidence!

 

I would very much hope that you had more to go on if you were advising your clients that lead pipes in a property they wished to purchase could constitute a serious health hazard...

[bl4ster 10]

Lead and the main sulphide ores of lead that were mined in the Peak District are relatively insoluble and therefore are not easily absorbed by the body. I believe that one consequence of lead in pipes and drinking water is that it reduces the iodine content. In the past this caused Derbyshire neck or goitre- a growth in the thyroid gland. This is now rare as iodine is added to salt.

 

The lead hazard cannot be too great as drinking water is abstracted from several lead mines in Derbyshire and elsewhere.

 

I would suggest that if ayone has a burst pipe or is making alterations to lead plumbing it should be replaced completely as heating and soldering can cause oxidation and potentialy poisonous compounds

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

The same problem arises from lead-based paintwork, of course.