UNIVERSITY of Huddersfield scientists and Yorkshire Water will join forces to help reduce the traces of lead occasionally found in tap water.

The university has been given equipment including rigs that mimic the lead pipes in some older houses.

The equipment will enable project leader Dr Jeremy Hopwood and postdoctoral researcher Dr Taher Rabizadeh to simulate aspects of domestic plumbing systems, and replicate the problems that can arise from the lead piping that still connects a large number of homes to the mains.

A key aim of the project is to identify whether any further improvements can be achieved by changes to water chemistry to reduce exposure to lead.

For their experiments and analysis, the two chemists will use both tap water and water that they have synthesised in the new lab. They will be probing the effects of pipeline corrosion and will also investigate whether different levels of treatment are required in Yorkshire’s hard and soft water areas.

The research is being funded by the utility Yorkshire Water, as part of its long-term strategy to remove lead where it can and minimise lead solubility elsewhere

They estimate around 900,000 properties around the region have some lead pipe associated with them.

A key aim is to ensure compliance with the current legal UK limit of 10 micrograms of lead per litre. The University of Huddersfield has a long-standing research relationship with Yorkshire Water.