While millions of people are under orders to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic, water is sitting in the pipes of empty office buildings and gyms, getting old and potentially dangerous.
When water isn’t flowing, organisms and chemicals can build up in the plumbing. It can happen in underused gyms, office buildings, schools, shopping malls, and other facilities. These organisms and chemicals can reach unsafe levels when water sits in water pipes for just a few days. But, what happens when water sits for weeks or months?
There are no long-term studies of the risks and only minimal guidanceto help building owners prepare their water for use again after a long shutdown.
As researchers involved in building water safety, we study these risks and advise building owners and public officials on actions they can take to reduce the potential for widespread waterborne disease. A new paperhighlights these issues and our concerns that the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders may increase the chance of harmful water exposure when people return.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WATER GETS OLD?
Just like food that sits in a refrigerator for too long, water that sits in a building’s pipes for too long can make people sick.
Harmful organisms, like the bacteria that cause Legionnaire’s disease, can grow. If not maintained, devices like filters, water tanks, heaters and softeners can become organism incubators.
With certain pipe materials, water can accumulate unsafe levels of leadand copper, which can cause learning disabilities, cardiovascular effects, nausea, and diarrhea.
Drinking this water is a problem, but infections can also result from inhaling harmful organisms. This occurs when water splashes and becomes an aerosol, as can happen in showers, hot tubs and pools and when flushing toilets or washing hands. Some of these organisms can cause pneumonia-like diseases, especially in people who have weakened immune systems.
The water inside a building does not have an expiration date: Problems can develop within days at individual faucets, and all buildings with low water use are at risk.
KEEP THE WATER FLOWING
To avoid water issues, “fresh” water must regularly flow to a building’s faucets. Most U.S. water providers add a chemical disinfectant to the water they deliver to kill organisms, but this chemical disappears over time.
Medical facilities, with their vulnerable populations, are required to have a building water safety plan to keep water fresh and prevent growth. Schools, which have long periods of low use during the summer, are advised to keep water fresh to reduce water’s lead levels.