Method for preventing elution of lead and/or nickel from copper alloy piping material such as valve or pipe joint and copper alloy piping material, and fluid for use in cleaning piping material

Abstract

A technique is provided to precludes elution of the nickel by infallibly removing the nickel adhering to the inner surface of plumbing hardware, realize a treatment for efficient (treating temperature, treating duration, etc.) preclusion of both or either of lead and nickel and perform a neutralizing treatment on the varying fluid used in the treatment for precluding elution, thereby rendering the fluid usable as industrial water, permitting a generous cut in cost and allowing thorough observance of the influence on the environment. A method for precluding elution of lead and nickel from a plumbing device made of a copper alloy that includes a valve and a tube coupling, includes washing at least a liquid-contacting part of the plumbing device of a copper alloy containing both or either of lead and nickel with a cleaning fluid incorporating therein nitric acid and hydrochloric acid as an inhibitor under conditions of a temperature and a duration permitting effective removal of both or either of lead and nickel, thereby performing at least one of deleading treatment and nickel-removing treatment for a surface of the liquid-contacting part and causing the hydrochloric acid to form a coating film on the surface of the liquid-contacting part to thereby effectively precluding elution of both or either of the lead and nickel from the surface of the liquid-contacting part in the presence of the coating layer.