February 25th, 2020
by Charles Lee Clifton

Most people in the plumbing industry are aware that the creation of modern plumbing with its delivery of clean water and removal of waste is credited with being one of the single most important inventions ever. Toilets and the installation of water distribution systems that deliver clean water into homes are widely acknowledged to have saved more lives than anything else in the world, including modern medicine and vaccines.

An official wearing protective gear stands guard outside an entrance to the Hong Mei House residential building at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong on Feb. 11, 2020, following the evacuation of more than 100 people from the housing block after residents in two different apartments tested positive for the new coronavirus. Image: Getty Images

I am sure you have all read about the current coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Although investigations are still ongoing, according to news reports there are indications that the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus may have spread through a defective plumbing system. The possibility of the virus being transmitted through pipes has immediately drawn a comparison to the 2003 SARS outbreak when this method became a major source of transmission. At the Amoy Gardens housing estate, there were more than 300 infections and 42 deaths from SARS after defective plumbing allowed the virus to spread through the building.

Could defective plumbing have led to a possible spread of the virus in Wuhan, China? Investigations are still ongoing. It is unlikely that the COVID-19 coronavirus would spread in a high-rise building in the United States especially with a modern plumbing code being used, such as the International Plumbing Code (IPC). The intent of the IPC is to establish minimum standards to provide a reasonable level of safety, health, property protection and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, installation, quality of materials, location, operation and maintenance or use of plumbing equipment and systems. That’s why it is also important to maintain our buildings with well-trained craftsmen and certified inspectors.

Every time we hear of these outbreaks it reminds us of the importance of plumbing codes and safe plumbing systems.

About the Author
Charles Lee Clifton
Charles Lee Clifton, retired senior director of plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas resources for the International Code Council, has more than 45 years of experience in the plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas industry. His career began as a second-generation plumber, working for his father at Clifton Plumbing Inc., in Tampa, Florida. He retired from the city of Los Angeles in 2007 as a principal inspector after 21 years of service. He retired from the International Code Council after 13 years of service.