Are plastic pipes the new asbestos?

PEX has replaced copper, but at what cost?

We always move too fast to try new things, usually debating about half of the consequences we actually know about.

Asbestos was once used everywhere. Brake pads, insulation, fireproofing, flooring, ductwork, drywall and plaster, and even curtains relied on the mineral to make things more durable, safe, and affordable. It was a miracle material, until it wasn’t.

When I remodeled our 1954 farmhouse in the hills of Patrick County, Virginia, plumbing was one of those things I spent a great deal of time researching. What are the pros and cons of different pipe materials? What are the ideal pipe sizes to supply each faucet or appliance? What are the various installation methods? How long can each material last and how do they perform over time?

All of my research seemed to point to two options for pipe: copper and PEX.

What is PEX?

Since the 1970s, PEX has been all the rage in Europe. Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) is a plastic formed by cross-linking a common type of plastic (polyethylene, like what your milk jug is made from) into a more durable form. It’s flexible, chemically inert, doesn’t crack easily if the water freezes, and it’s cheap. The tools to work with it are user-friendly and widely available.

In the last 20 years, PEX has been replacing copper as the pipe of choice in North America. A couple other types of plastic pipe had their 15-minutes of fame, those being CPVC and gray polybutylene, but they each had some issues and neither one surged in popularity like PEX. CPVC, or chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, is a yellowish plastic that you might have in your home due to those brief 15 minutes. It’s similar to PVC, but considered “safe” for potable water, unlike PVC, which is often green or white and used for sewage lines. Hopefully you don’t have any gray polybutylene piping because it was discovered that the fittings eventually degrade and crack, causing millions in water damage over the years.

Yet another plastic, HDPE (high-density polyethylene), is also used in plumbing, especially in well pump drop-pipes, but is not nearly as prolific as PEX. HDPE is the same material from which milk jugs, soda bottles, and condiment jars are made. HDPE is widely used in the food industry in packaging and handling, but that’s a story for another day.

Today, you almost certainly have PEX somewhere in your home, especially if it’s a mobile or modular home, or new construction. If it’s not making up most of your plumbing, then it’s at least in the water line to your icemaker.

The Decision

So, watching Richard Trethewey of This Old House fame demonstrating copper and PEX, and regaling the nightmares of polybutylene, he likened PEX to a miracle material one might see at the World’s Fair. The perfect combination of science and space-age technology coming together to make plumbers’ jobs easier, customers’ wallets fatter, and children’s bodies healthier.

So, PEX, this inert plastic that installs like wiring, lasts 75+ years, costs little, and rarely bursts when frozen seemed like the perfect solution for our farmhouse.

And Richard knows everything.

So, I settled on PEX and installed it everywhere. I replaced all the copper, the CPVC, and HDPE with PEX. I’ve recommended PEX and installed it for my family members.

Now, I’m rethinking that decision. Back to copper.

Why Go Back to Copper?

Because every day we hear more and more about the looming dangers of microplastics in our oceans, drinking water, and even in our own blood. What will be the effect of these tiny sub-5mm pieces of hard plastic chewing at our cell walls, organs, and arteries like little pieces of asbestos in our lungs? I’ve begun to fear all the ways in which we’ve integrated plastic into our lives that might come back to haunt us.

In 2014, a study was published, that indicated within the first 30 days of installation, various brands of plastic PEX piping were leaching chemicals into drinking water. This was the leaching of chemicals, not pieces of plastic. But can we expect that every piece of pipe was cut perfectly and deburred on the ends? And that every burr was perfectly collected and disposed of properly without falling deeper into the pipe, only to be washed away later into your cup? Of course, I am referring only to the visible pieces. What about the tiniest of fragments of plastic that we cannot see with the naked eye? And this was the first study of its kind in the United States.

Consider that "more than 150 contaminants have been found in water that flowed through PEX" and "there are no enforceable federal regulations".

In fact, one of the authors of the 2014 study said, “we have seen significant amounts of chemicals leaching from new PEX pipes across brands and differences even within the same brand of pipe purchased from different stores”.

If our blind spot can be so grand after 50 years of using this miracle material, what else are we missing?

Once any pipe has been installed, it’s common practice to flush the pipe in order to remove debris. But what about the first few months of living with that pipe. Whenever I paint a wall in my house, my weird nose can smell the paint leaching VOCs for days or even weeks afterward. How long is your brand new PEX leaching into your water? And even if your PEX somehow never leaches even a single milligram of pollution, does the pipe never shed even a tiny bit of plastic over its lifespan? Water erosion doesn’t just happen in canyons, it happens in the rushing rivers of water lines, too.

Why Did We Abandon Copper Anyways?

Copper is expensive. And plastic is super-duper cheap.

Copper takes longer to install and requires a bit of craftsmanship to solder correctly to avoid pitting and leaks in the future. Plus, it involves heat (an open flame) to melt the solder. In crawl spaces or sensitive areas, this isn’t fun. Of course, some innovative options exist to eliminate soldering entirely, but the tools are expensive.

Copper also takes more planning. It’s easy to snake PEX through walls, floors, basements, and crawlspaces. Copper requires measuring, cutting, and mounting securely. Not that you shouldn’t be doing all that with PEX, but the DIYer and handyman can easily run PEX and connect it with a SharkBite and get away with it. I’ve done this many times myself.

The Cost of Convenience

So, what risks are we taking to avoid the inconveniences of copper? We don’t know.

Chemical companies, Big Oil, and vendors will jump to shut down this idea that plastic piping of any kind could one day become a health threat, if it hasn’t already.

But can these companies guarantee that plastic piping will never leach or deteriorate into your water? And what about the environmental impact? Plastic piping cannot be easily or cost-effectively recycled right now. Maybe it will never be recyclable. During installation and removal, tiny bits of plastic are bound to fall on the ground or into the pipe. How can any company guarantee that these tiny bits of plastic won’t become a threat to human health. Much less the invisible pieces.

On the other hand, copper pipe has been used for centuries without issue. The nuances of installing and maintaining copper pipes are well understood. Copper is 100% recyclable over and over and over again. Copper pipe is available everywhere. And you actually need copper biologically to survive, so it’s okay if a little bit leaches into your water. Copper pipe doesn’t impart any bad chemical tastes. Copper pipe lasts 50+ years. And copper is even anti-bacterial.

It’s not going to be fun (or cheap) to replace all that plastic with copper. Not just in my home, but in your homes, your schools, and your office buildings. But I do believe as more and more studies are done to research the side effects of plastic pipe, we are going to find that going back to natural materials like copper is better in the long run.

The easy way isn’t always the right way. In my experience, it usually isn’t.