Manganese is not a particularly toxic mineral. In fact, people need a little in their diets to remain healthy.
Manganese is not a particularly toxic mineral. In fact, people need a little in their diets to remain healthy.
Research at Washington University in St. Louis has shown however, that in conjunction with certain other chemicals, naturally occurring manganese can lead to big changes in the water in lead pipes. Depending on what disinfectants are used in the water, those changes can have significant — even dangerous — consequences.
The results were recently published in Environmental Science and Technology.
The research focuses on a unique form of lead, PbO2 or lead dioxide (lead in the plus-4 oxidation state). Lead dioxide has a very low water solubility — it does not easily dissolve in water alone. It is also uncommon in nature, unlike the more familiar PbCO3, the lead carbonate that makes up the scales that tend to form on pipes.
Read more at Washington University in St. Louis
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