# Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Aging Piping Systems

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2021 · $166,419

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Millions of miles of water and sewer piping systems are currently buried across the United States. Near sites
contaminated with hazardous wastes, pipe deterioration provides pathways for contaminant entry and transport
to surrounding communities. One challenge of leaking sewer pipes near Superfund sites involves volatilization
of contaminants that enter subsurface pipes, posing indoor inhalation exposure risks. In drinking water piping
systems, pipe fractures coupled with pressure transients within the piping system allow subsurface
contaminants to enter the system—especially at contaminated sites where such breaks become conduits
impacting water quality. This project provides strategies to reduce and prevent exposure risks to environmental
contaminants, especially chlorinated ethenes and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that result from
leaking and damaged subsurface piping networks. The overarching project goal is to combine piping
infrastructure science with fate and transport science to identify and reduce exposure risks associated with
trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE), and PFAS. To achieve this goal, we propose three specific
aims: 1) To measure mass flux of contaminants at field sites where TCE and PCE exposure risks are impacted
by piping networks; evaluate flow and pressure field data from drinking water systems; and, determine the
effect of broken or failed piping components and joints in lab settings 2) To develop models that: a) predict
mass flux of contaminants to indoor air and evaluate exposure risks; b) predict mass flux of contaminants
through piping networks; and, 3) To use stakeholder input and stochastic analyses to characterize model
uncertainty and sensitivity in an effort to develop stakeholder-relevant solutions that reduce and prevent
exposure risks. The specific aims integrate advanced computational modeling approaches with field
measurements collected from piping systems in Eastern Kentucky and at a start-of-the-art vapor intrusion
research facility near a Superfund site. Comparing data from different measurement techniques, including a
novel sensor technology, provides information about temporal variability of sewer gas mass flux which is
critical due to the high level of uncertainty that surrounds environmental exposure risks. The research team
aims to bolster a paradigm shift in the way uncertain exposure risks are managed and develop solutions to
reduce exposure risks in ways that are acceptable to communities. Risk communication science will inform
strategies to evaluate uncertainty using stakeholder perspectives and evidence-based practices as a
framework to promote solution-oriented research and environmental health literacy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10133666
- **Project number:** 5P42ES007380-23
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelly G Pennell
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $166,419
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-04-07 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10133666

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10133666, Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Aging Piping Systems (5P42ES007380-23). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10133666. Licensed CC0.

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