U.S. Patent Makes ePIPE® the Fastest and Most Effective Pipe Lining Process to Reduce Lead Leaching and Save Cities Like Flint

(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pipe Restoration Technologies, LLC, (PRT), a world-leading pipe lining innovator and manufacturer, announced today that it has been awarded its 14th U.S. patent, Patent #9273815, titled, “Process for Coating the Interior Surface of Water Service Lines.” Granted by the USPTO, this patent covers the in-place coating of metallic pipes, including lead, copper and steel pipes, curing the resin in at least one hour. ePIPE® in-place lining technology reduces lead leaching from lead pipes and other in-line lead contributors, such as lead solder, from leaching into the drinking water supply. Using the ePIPE process, lead levels are reduced to well below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cut-off guidelines for lead, at 10 ug/l (10ppb). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cut-off levels for lead, at 15 ug/l (15ppb), are 50 percent higher than recommended by the World Health Organization.

The ePIPE technology is completed to pipes “in-place,” reducing the need for excessive digging or tearing up roads or buildings’ foundation or walls. ePIPE is a long-term solution that does not require the addition of expensive and questionable water treatment chemicals.

“Relying on chemical treatment of the drinking water and getting it wrong was a major contributor to the Flint poison pipe problem,” Pipe Restoration Technologies and ACE DuraFlo® CEO Larry Gillanders said. “Hands down, we offer the best solution to protect drinking water from lead leaching.”

ePIPE technology is the industry’s fastest and most effective in-place pipe lining process preventing leaks and greatly reducing lead and metals from leaching into the drinking water supply.

The Flint, MI, water crisis has brought major attention to the cumulative effects of lead consumption, especially in pregnant women and small children. Lead is a dangerous toxin, poisoning drinking water, with medical experts agreeing there is no amount of lead deemed safe for consumption. Lead exposure can impair a child’s IQ and cognitive function and can lead to behavioral problems. High-profile environmental activists, such as Erin Brockovich and Former First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton, are getting involved in raising awareness and attempting to find a solution.

“We are already providing our ePIPE technology as a solution to lead leaching in England, and we have already provided the ePIPE solution to thousands of properties in the U.S.,” said Gillanders. “We are prepared to help cities like Flint to bring their water pipes into lead leaching compliance, using this efficient, effective and proven solution. With our licensed network of plumbing companies across the country that use ePIPE, we are asking all cities and building owners who are dealing with lead compliance issues to contact us so that we can protect their drinking water. Our non-invasive epoxy coating system can bring lead contaminated water systems into compliance within hours, without causing destruction or closing down streets. This is a win-win for cities and their citizens.”

Lead service pipes are not the only contributor to lead in drinking water. Lead solder, which was used on copper piping systems, is a lead contributor and as seen recently in the Hong Kong Lead Crisis, can elevate lead levels from 10 to 60 times the allowable limit. Prior to 1988, lead solder was a commonly installed material used with the installation of copper piping systems in the U.S. and Canada.

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