Purdue Research Highlights Potential Risks from Pipe Repair

Recent research conducted at Purdue University highlights potential risks from a commonly used procedure to repair sanitary sewer, water and stormwater pipes, according to a recent press release.  The procedure, known as cured-in-place pipe repair, or CIPP, was invented in the 1970s and involves placing a resin-impregnated liner into a pipe that needs repair and then curing the liner using pressurized steam (or sometimes ultraviolet light).  The CIPP process can emit chemicals into the air, which could expose workers (and possibly the public that lives close to the pipe repair site) to a mixture of compounds that could potentially pose health hazards.  The research was recently published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.