The permeation of deuterium through coated stainless steel tubes containing liquid lithium-lead eutectic (Pb-17Li) has been studied and compared to measurements through tubes without the lithium compound. The measurements form part of an investigation into the effect of a potential tritium breeder material on permeation barriers for fusion reactors. The coatings studied were CVD TiC and Al 2 O 3 and a pack aluminised layer. Without the lithium-lead, the CVD coatings reduced the permeation rate up to 1 order of magnitude, and the aluminised layer up to 2 orders of magnitude. A CVD layer was unaffected by Pb-17Li whilst in the case of the aluminised tube, the lithium-lead completely removed the permeation barrier, presumably by attacking the surface oxide. Furthermore, the aluminised sample presented a large number of cracks and poor adherence to the substrate.