ABSTRACT
During the last few years the use of synthetic materials developed in the 1930s have become popular in various aspects of human life. They are presently used in water distribution systems and their per cent share in tap water supply networks is steadily growing. This is due, in part, to their ready availability in the market, their relatively low price, and their ease of assembly. Furthermore, plastic pipes are installed to decrease the risk of the development of microbiological films in tap water networks which would, in turn, result in secondary microbiological contamination of water. Studies conducted in the 1960s demonstrated that such synthetic polymers as polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride show low surface roughness which considerably lowers their susceptibility to microbiological film creation. However, it does not totally eliminate it (Kus´ & S´cieranka 2005, Zyska & Z˙akowska 2005).
