AWWA JAW18147

In this discussion of Alan R. Berens' article on "Prediction of Organic Chemical Permeation Through PVC Pipe" (Journal AWWA, November, 1985), Pfau notes the importance of Berens's work and points out that it complements permeation investigations at Battelle Laboratories. The work at Battelle has involved commercially available, unjointed and gasketed-jointed, 4 inch water pipe (PVC, asbestos-cement, and ductile iron) exposed to neat organic solvents and water-solvent solutions representing highly contaminated environments. These investigations under worst-case exposure conditions, are useful in determining the qualitative nature of permeation and in understanding basic mechanisms of permeation through water pipes. Gravimetric adsorption studies being conducted at Battelle will serve to verify Berens's results.