Safety Evaluation of New Polymer Materials Proposed for Relining Drinking Water Pipes in the City of Milano

Abstract

Relining is a trenchless technology of recoating the inside walls of damaged water pipes using composite materials. In the Safe Pipe project, co-financed by Regione Lombardia, alternative polymeric\ud materials for relining the drinking water distribution system of the city of Milan have been developed. Relining polymers have been evaluated for their toxicity. The identification of product impurities was performed by HPLC/HRMS and GC/MS analysis and safety evaluation was conducted applying toxicity data, when available, or applying QSAR models. Results showed low level of toxic substances in polymerized resins and in water samples in a migration/leaching test performed in a field experiment