Columbia Gas Checks Defective Pipes

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is checking plastic pipes in thousands of buildings after it was discovered that the walls of the pipes are too thin. The gasline pipes were installed in about 28-thousand buildings before a worker noticed the problem in June. Columbia Gas spokesman Mike Marcus says the pipes in question were used at buildings in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky and Virginia. Marcus says they don't believe there is a threat of immediate failure but rather a shorter lifespan for the pipe......."We don't believe there's a safety issue with those pipes but because safety is our top priority, we're taking the extra precaution of inspection all those locations. Marcus says Jana Laboratories of Ontario, Canada has been hired to test the pipers made by Texas-based Polypipe..........
"We're inspecting at the 5,600 locations where the pipe was used and we've stopped using the brand of plastic pipe in question, and we're now installing a plastic pipe produced by another manufacturer."
He says should it be determined that there is any form of hazard, the pipe will be replaced. Polypipe officials blamed malfunctioning cooling equipment for the thin walls.