Does PE pipe support microbiological growth?
Microbiological or microbial growth (biofilm) on the surface of components in a water supply system is likely to occur irrespective of the material used. Treatment of water with chlorine or other substances may contribute to a significant decrease. The conditions or mechanism for formation of this biofilm are not fully understood, nor why some materials appear to support greater levels of growth. However it is generally accepted that this is unrelated to water quality at the tap. Studies carried out by PlasticsEurope indicate that the amount of cells present in the water is unrelated to the amount of biofilm formed on the internal surfaces of pipes. As a safeguard several European countries have well established methods for assessing materials for support of microbial growth, and plastics including PE100 which meet other requirements for water quality have no difficulty in meeting such requirements. Further research and the development of a harmonised method is being undertaken by KIWA
