Andrew Whelton

• Ph.D.
• Professor of Environmental Engineering at Purdue University West Lafayette

Cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) technology has begun to be adopted for drinking water pipe repairs, and limited information exists about its drinking water quality impacts. CIPP involves the manufacture of a new plastic pipe inside a buried damaged pipe. In this study, the chemical composition of the raw materials and CIPP water quality impacts were exa...

Disasters can prompt hydrocarbon contaminants to reach building water systems, and ultimately customer fixtures. Here, seven water supply connectors (e.g., ice‐maker lines, faucet connectors, washing machine hoses) were exposed to contaminated water, and were subsequently decontaminated by water flushing. After a 24 h contamination period, water sa...

The February 2023 East Palestine, Ohio chemical spill and fires—triggered by the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous material—brought on a regional environmental crisis [1]. After the train derailment, hazardous material was observed contaminating local creeks. On February 6, 2023, responding agencies conducted a contr...

To understand community impacts and needs after the August 2023 Maui wildfires, we conducted a rapid survey-based field investigation two weeks after the incident. During the fires, municipal water customers...

In February 2023, a train derailment in Ohio caused a chemical spill and fires releasing contaminants into the air, soil, waterways, and buildings.

Microplastic particles are of increasing environmental concern due to the widespread uncontrolled degradation of various commercial products made of plastic and their associated waste disposal. Recently, common technology used to repair sewer pipes was reported as one of the emission sources of airborne microplastics in urban areas. This research p...

Air-discharged waste from commonly used trenchless technologies of sewer pipe repairs is an emerging and poorly characterized source of urban pollution. This study reports on the molecular-level characterization of the atmospherically discharged aqueous-phase waste condensate samples collected at four field sites of the sewer pipe repairs. The mole...

A reduction in building occupancy can lead to stagnant water in plumbing, and the potential consequences for water quality have gained increasing attention. To investigate this, a study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on water quality in four institutional buildings. Two of these buildings were old (>58 years) and large (>19,00...

Three buildings that were repurposed for use as an elementary school were shutdown for three months in response to the pandemic. Building cold and hot water quality was monitored before reopening to detect and resolve chemical and microbiological problems. The authors collected first draw pre-flush and post-flush water samples. First draw water sam...

The residence time of water in residential building water systems is a critical factor regarding water quality at end use. Published literature has highlighted the importance of water age in these systems and its relationship with pathogenic bacteria such as Legionella pneumophila . However, tools to measure water age in such plumbing systems are t...

Water quality impacts of new ion exchange point-of-entry residential softeners and their ability to be decontaminated following hydrocarbon exposure were investigated. During startup, significant amounts of total sulfur (445 ± 815 mg/L) and total organic carbon (937 ± 119 mg/L) were released into the drinking water that flowed through the softeners...

Residential buildings provide unique conditions for opportunistic premise plumbing pathogen (OPPP) exposure via aerosolized water droplets produced by showerheads, faucets, and tubs. The objective of this review was to critically evaluate the existing literature that assessed the impact of potentially enhancing conditions to OPPP occurrence associa...

Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) technology is increasingly being utilized to repair aging and damaged pipes, however, there are concerns associated with the public health hazards of emissions. CIPP installation involves the manufacture of a new plastic composite pipe at the worksite and includes multiple variable components including resin material, cur...

Following the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, this study was conducted to better understand private well and plumbing damage and to develop public health guidance. More than 20 post‐fire drinking water well guidance documents with varied recommendations were found. Approximately 227 wells were located in the fire footprint. Seventeen properties wer...

Cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) is an onsite plastic manufacturing technology used in the U.S. and has not been evaluated for regulatory compliance with federal air pollution laws. The practice involves the discharge of manufacturing waste into the environment. The study goal was to estimate the magnitude of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) discharged...

The 2021 Marshall Fire was the costliest fire in Colorado's history and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses. The disaster displaced over 40,000 people and damaged six public drinking water systems. A case study was developed to better understand decisions, resources, expertise, and response limitations during and after the wildfire. The...

In spring 2020, numerous buildings were closed or operated at reduced occupancies to slow the spread of COVID-19. An unintended consequence of these social distancing measures was a reduction in...

The effects of extended stagnation and flushing on physio-chemical and microbiological water quality were studied in a large residential building during 5 months of building closure.

Cured-in-place pipes (CIPPs) are plastic liners manufactured inside existing damaged sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and water pipes that extend the service life of host pipes. This process often is conducted in neighborhoods and near roadways. Before, during, and after plastic manufacture, waste materials that include volatile materials are released...

Nanoplastic particles are inadequately characterized environmental pollutants that have adverse effects on aquatic and atmospheric systems, causing detrimental effects to human health through inhalation, ingestion and skin penetration1–3. At present, it is explicitly assumed that environmental nanoplastics (EnvNPs) are weathering fragments of micro...

In spring 2020, reduced water demand was an unintended consequence of COVID-19 pandemic-related building closures. Concerns arose that contaminants associated with water stagnation, such as Legionella pneumophila , could become prevalent. To investigate this potential public health risk, samples from 26 reduced-occupancy buildings across 11 cities...

Understanding the end-use of water is essential to a plethora of critical research in premise plumbing. However, direct access to end-use data through physical sensors is prohibitively expensive for most researchers, building owners, operators, and practitioners. Therefore, machine learning models can alleviate these costs by predicting downstream...

The spread of opportunistic pathogens via building water supply and plumbing is of public health concern. This study was conducted to better understand microbial water quality changes in a LEED-certified school building during low water use (Summer) and normal water use (Autumn). The copper plumbed building contained water saving devices, a hot wat...

New plastic composites are being manufactured outdoors, inside buried water and sewer pipes. This cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) practice is less expensive than other infrastructure repair options, but pollutants discharged during and after plastic manufacture pose environmental and human health problems. The study goal was to better understand how com...

The role of water stagnation (~60 hours) in a 2-story commercial office building on building water quality was studied (January to February 2020) for three weekends. Chemical and biological parameters including pH, total chlorine, metals concentrations, Legionella spp. and total cell count were analyzed to understand the differences in water qualit...

The study goal was to better understand the risks of elevated copper levels at US schools and childcare centers. Copper health effects, chemistry, occurrence, and remediation actions were reviewed. Of the more than 98,000 schools and 500,000 childcare centers, only 0.2% had copper water testing data in the federal Safe Drinking Water Information Sy...

Significant seasonal changes in chemical and microbiological water quality can occur in buildings at different fixture locations due to temperature and time dependent reaction rates. Here, a series of calibrated plumbing hydraulic‐water quality models were developed for the extensively monitored Retrofitted Net‐zero Energy, Water & Waste (ReNEWW) h...

Opportunistic pathogens, such as several species of Legionella, are a growing concern globally. This is especially true in building plumbing. Plumbing design guidance has not been updated to reflect changes in use, leading to increased hydraulic retention time and exacerbating pathogen risks. While the effects of several water quality variables on...

The 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, California, was the state’s most destructive wildfire in history, destroying more than 14,600 homes. The wildfire caused widespread drinking water system chemical contamination resulting in acute and chronic health risks, requiring water use restrictions. Six months after the fire, the research team conducted a r...

The cured‐in‐place pipe (CIPP) manufacturing process is used to repair buried pipes, and its waste commonly discharged into the air can enter nearby buildings. Exposure can prompt illness and need for medical care. A mass balance model was applied to estimate indoor styrene concentrations due to intrusion of CIPP emissions through plumbing under di...

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly being considered in material selection decisions for residential drinking water piping, but chemical leaching during the use phase has typically been excluded, even though the delivery of safe water is the core function of water distribution infrastructure. We have quantified the contribution of leached o...

This study was conducted to determine if the thermal degradation of various plastic drinking water pipes (i.e., PEX, HDPE, PP, PVC, and CPVC) may be a source of drinking water contamination. Widespread volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination was found in water distribution systems following three wildfires in California. A potential source of...

When rainwater harvesting is utilized as an alternative water resource in buildings, a combination of municipal water and rainwater is typically required to meet water demands. Altering source water chemistry can disrupt pipe scale and biofilm and negatively impact water quality at the distribution level. Still, it is unknown if similar reactions o...

The Tubbs Fire (2017) and Camp Fire (2018) are the first known wildfires where widespread drinking water chemical contamination was discovered in the water distribution network and not in the source water after the fire. In both disasters, drinking water exceeded state and federal government‐defined exposure limits for several volatile organic comp...

The unprecedented number of building closures related to the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic is concerning because water stagnation will occur in many buildings that do not have water management plans in place. Stagnant water can have chemical and microbiological contaminants that pose potential health risks for occupants. Health officials,...

Sustainability, water conservation, water efficiency, and green infrastructure have led to significant decreases in the quantity of water used in buildings. In addition, changes in water usage, building design, plumbing material selection, and high‐efficiency fixtures contribute to water age and potential chemical and microbiological contamination....

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic prompted the closure and reopening of previously shutdown large buildings globally. Building water stagnation has been identified as a potentially serious chemical and microbiological health concern for occupants. Health officials, building owners, utilities, and other entities are rapidly developing guidance. A...

Ultraviolet light cured-in-place pipe is a popular trenchless rehabilitation technology used to repair existing buried pipelines without soil excavation. A polymer composite liner is manufactured directly in the field. After curing is complete, the new liner is placed in service to convey flowing water. Long-term water exposure has the potential to...

The study goal was to identify factors that influence copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) loading on new and aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) under various drinking water conditions. The applied aging procedure increased LDPE surface area, hydrophilicity and the number of oxygen containing functional groups. Aged LD...

Drinking water chemical quality can deteriorate after water enters building plumbing. This study aimed to better understand seasonal and spatial water quality differences in a highly monitored net-zero energy residential building. Water flow rate and temperature were monitored for one year at the service line and at every fixture throughout the cro...

Plastic pipes have been and are being installed downstream of metal drinking water plumbing components. Prior research has suggested that such pipe configurations may induce plastic pipe degradation and even system failure. To explore the impact of upstream metal plumbing components on downstream plastic pipes, field- and bench-scale experiments we...

Objectives: US water infrastructure is in need of widespread repair due to age-related deterioration. Currently, the cured-in-place (CIPP) procedure is the most common method for water pipe repair. This method involves the on-site manufacture of a new polymer composite plastic liner within the damaged pipe. The CIPP process can release materials re...

Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), a popular trenchless technology, has gained wide attention for drinking water, sewerage and storm water pipe rehabilitation because of its ease of installation. Here, the physical and thermal properties of steam-cured PET felt/polyester resin CIPPs were studied. ¹H NMR and GC-MS analysis was performed to identify the unr...

Cured-in-place-pipes (CIPP) are plastic liners chemically manufactured inside existing damaged sewer pipes. They are gaining popularity in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Volatile and semi-volatile organic compound (VOC/SVOC) emissions from storm sewer CIPP installations were investigated at a dedicated outdoor research site. Tedl...

Drinking water distribution system contamination incidents can prompt public agencies and drinking water utilities to issue do-not-drink and do-not-use advisories. After the contaminant is cleared from distribution mains, consumers are often directed to flush their plumbing. However, little validated guidance and few evaluated communications strate...

Waste management challenges associated with the Flint, Michigan drinking water disaster were investigated. In October 2015, more than 97,000 people were directed not to use their lead contaminated water, but instead use emergency drinking water and in-home filters. Waste generated overwhelmed Flint’s initial waste management capacity. Case study re...

Storm water culverts are integral for U.S. public safety and welfare, and their mechanical failure can cause roadways to collapse. To repair these buried assets, ultraviolet (UV) light cured-in-place-pipes (CIPP) are being installed. Chemical emission and residual material left behind from the installation process was investigated in New York and V...

A series of liquid and curable lignin−containing epoxy prepolymers were prepared for making renewable epoxy thermosets. First, lignin was modified to phenolated lignin (PL) in a solvent−free reaction. PL was subsequently co−oligomerized with salicyl alcohol (SA) in water without the use of formaldehyde to obtain fully bio−based polyphenols (PL−SA)....

A series of fully renewable triphenols (TPs) with various number of methoxy group substituents (n = 0−6) were synthesized using lignin−derived phenols (guaiacol and 2,6−dimethoxyphenol) and aldehydes (4−hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin and syringaldehyde). The structural evolution from TPs to epoxy thermosets was followed by nuclear magnetic resonance...

The influence of polymer aging, water pH, and aqueous Pb concentration on Pb deposition onto low density polyethylene (LDPE) was investigated. LDPE pellets were aged by ozonation at 85 °C. ATR-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of aged LDPE surfaces showed that a variety of polar functional groups (>CO<, >CO, >COO) were formed...

Metal abundance and scale morphology for cross-linked polyethylene plastic pipes and pipe oxidative condition were examined in a one-year-old residential plumbing system. Experiments were also conducted to determine whether plastic pipe surfaces can influence scale formation. Within a single plumbing system, significant differences were found for s...

Residential plumbing is critical for the health and safety of populations worldwide. A case study was conducted to understand fixture water use, drinking water quality and their possible link, in a newly plumbed residential green building. Water use and water quality were monitored at four in-building locations from September 2015 through December...

Cured‐in‐place pipe (CIPP) technology has been used to rehabilitate sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and drinking water pipes. However, utilities, regulators, and health officials have raised environmental, occupational, and public health concerns regarding chemical emissions into air and water. To better understand emissions into water, available lite...

On January 9, 2014, a chemical mixture containing crude methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) contaminated the water supply of Charleston, West Virginia. Although the mixture was later identified as a mix of crude MCHM and stripped propylene glycol phenyl ethers, initial risk assessment focused on 4-MCHM, the predominant component of crude MCHM. The mix...

The goal of this study was to better understand how to design guidance to flush chemically contaminated residential water heaters. The specific objectives were to identify factors that influence fixture flow rates and water heater turnover and develop and test mass balance models for various sizes of residential water heaters on the basis of real‐w...

Chemical emissions were characterized for steam-cured cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) installations in Indiana (sanitary sewer) and California (stormwater). One pipe in California involved a low-volatile organic compound (VOC) non-styrene resin, while all other CIPP sites used styrene resins. In Indiana, the uncured resin contained styrene, benzaldehyde...

Lignin derived monomer (2-methoxy-4-propylphenol, Dihydroeugenol, DHE) was used to synthesize a biomass based plumbing pipe cleaning agent (DHEL). DHEL’s metal deposit removal efficiency for an exhumed plastic drinking water pipe was examined. The total metal deposited on 3 cm pipe segments was first characterized and heterogeneous metal loading (μ...

In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, over 1 million gallons of dispersant were applied in Gulf of Mexico offshore waters; Corexit 9500 was the most applied dispersant. The impact on organisms in nearshore and freshwaters has received little scrutiny. Acute 48 h toxicity of Corexit 9500 and a new hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI)...

This study was conducted to determine the susceptibility of plastic (i.e., PEX, HDPE and CPVC) and copper pipes to short-term contamination by crude oil. Pipes were exposed to highly and slightly contaminated drinking water for the typical duration of Do Not Use drinking water orders. PEX pipes sorbed and desorbed the greatest amount of monoaromati...

The study goal was to examine the effectiveness of surfactants to decontaminate plastic and copper potable water plumbing components. Several common potable water pipe and gasket plastics were examined as well as Alconox® detergent, Dawn® soap, and MAGIT-DG 100 surfactants. Results showed that the MAGIT-DG 100 solutions permeated all plastics withi...

Chemical spills and accidents contaminate the environment and disrupt societies and economies around the globe. In the United States there were approximately 172,000 chemical spills that affected US waterbodies from 2004 to 2014. More than 8000 of these spills involved non-petroleum-related chemicals. Traditional emergency responses or incident com...

This column discusses the expanded summary of the article “PEX and PP Water Pipes: Assimilable Carbon, Chemicals, and Odors” by Connell et al., which appeared in the April 2016 Journal AWWA (Vol. 108, No. 4, p. 69).

A chemical storage tank was found leaking into the Elk River, West Virginia, on January 9, 2014. The tank held ~10,000 gallons (38,000 L) of 4- methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM). The chemical spilled 2.4 km away from the West Virginia American Water’s (WVAW) Kanawha Valley Water Treatment Plant, traveling downstream and entering the treatment plant...

The incorporation of carbon nanofiber (CNF) into glass fiber (GF) composites is a potential route to extend polymer composite service-life and enhance mechanical properties. Under nonstatic conditions, only limited information concerning water uptake and contaminant release properties of nanocomposite materials is currently available. Polyester com...

Several recent chemical spills have caused large-scale drinking water contamination incidents in Canada and the USA. The study goal was to identify key decisions and actions critical to incident investigations using the 2014 crude MCHM chemical spill in West Virginia USA as a case study. Environmental testing records, scientific reports, government...

The influence of four different cleaning methods used for newly installed polyethylene (PEX) pipes on chemical and odor quality was determined. Bench-scale testing of two PEX (type b) pipe brands showed that the California Plumbing Code PEX installation method does not maximize total organic carbon (TOC) removal. TOC concentration and threshold odo...

As levels of natural organic matter (NOM) in surface water rise, the minimization of potentially harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) becomes increasingly critical. Here, we introduce the advantage that chromatographic pre-fractionation brings to investigating compositional changes to NOM caused by chlorination. Fractionation reduces complexity,...

Recent large-scale drinking water chemical contamination incidents in Canada and the U.S. have affected more than 1,000,000 people and involved disparate premise plumbing decontamination approaches. In this study, past premise plumbing decontamination approaches were reviewed and a mass balance water heater model was developed and tested. Organic c...

Eleven brands of plastic drinking water pipe were evaluated for assimilable organic carbon (AOC) release at 23°C for 28 days: polyvinyl chloride, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene (PP), and cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes. Three of eight PEX pipe brands exceeded a 100 μg/L AOC microbial regrowth threshold for the first exposure period,...

During January 2014, an industrial solvent contaminated West Virginia's Elk River and 15% of the state population's tap water. A rapid in-home survey and water testing was conducted two weeks following the spill to understand resident perceptions, tap water chemical levels, and premise plumbing flushing effectiveness. Water odors were detected in a...

Sanitary sewer collection and stormwater conveyance infrastructure is increasingly being repaired by trenchless pipeline rehabilitation methods such as cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP). This project was conducted to determine the degree the CIPP installation process and cured material impacted stormwater quality. Condensate generated during the installat...

Green buildings are increasingly being plumbed with crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) potable water pipe. Tap water quality was investigated at a six month old plumbing system and chemical and odor quality impacts of six PEX pipe brands were examined. Eleven PEX related contaminants were found in the plumbing system; one regulated (toluene) and severa...

The elk river spill is a call to action for all water utilities with hazardous chemicals in close proximity to their source water. Regardless of the regulations and responsibilities of state and federal regulators, water utilities have responsibilities and liabilities that should prompt action to identify possible chemical threats. All individuals...

Cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) is becoming a popular US stormwater culvert rehabilitation method. Several State transportation agencies have reported that CIPP activities can release styrene into stormwater, but no other contaminants have been monitored. CIPP's stormwater contamination potential and that of its condensate waste was characterized. Conde...

This article is one of a series of 4 that report on a task of the NanoRelease Food Additive project of the Intl. Life Science Inst. Center for Risk Science Innovation and Application to identify, evaluate, and develop methods that are needed to confidently detect, characterize, and quantify intentionally produced engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) rel...

After the headline‐making chemical spill into West Virginia's Elk River in January 2014 affected nine counties and left residents with a licorice odor in their tap water, an expert‐panel study was conducted to better understand the spill's odor characteristics.

Many stormwater pipes and culverts have reached the end of their service lives, and their repair or replacement is a large maintenance concern. Many commonly used culvert rehabilitation technologies entail the use of a resin or coating that cures to form a rigid liner within the damaged culvert. However, water quality implications of these trenchle...

A literature review and 30-day leaching regime were conducted to determine the extent storm-water infrastructure coatings affect water quality. Newly installed polymer-enhanced cement mortar (PECM) and polyurea (PEUU) storm-water pipe coatings were removed from the field and underwent 10 three-day water immersion periods. For both materials, the gr...

The impact of temperature and storage time on military packaged water (MPW) quality was examined at four temperatures (23.0°C to 60.0°C) for 120days. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles were filled in California and Afghanistan with unbuffered water treated by reverse osmosis. The US military's water pH long-term potability standard was exceed...

Students and postdoctoral associates interested in tenure-track environmental engineering positions have limited resources to aid them. The Student Services Committee (SSC) of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) organized a workshop to fill some of the need. Newly hired faculty and experienced search committe...