New Zealand urgently needs to move to lead-free sanitary ware, writes Greg Wallace.
The people of Waikouaiti, Karitane and Hawksbury were understandably angry and upset that they were being supplied with drinking water that contained unacceptably high levels of lead.
Several recommendations emerged from the subsequent review of the health system’s response – including the need to review installation standards for allowable levels of lead in imported fixtures and fittings.
Master Plumbers wants only unleaded faucets and fittings to be allowed for sale in New Zealand, as is already the case in the US. We have been advocating this for a number of years, but no action has yet been taken. This type of lead contamination event should not be required for the installation standards to be verified.
According to the World Health Organization, there is no known safe concentration of lead in blood. Lead is a cumulative toxin that makes constant exposure from drinking water a real problem. Exposure can be particularly serious in children’s health and the neurological and behavioral effects are believed to be irreversible.
In 2018, Master Plumbers commissioned an independent test of five tapware products sold in New Zealand. The amount of lead leached from a product purchased online was 70% above the allowable limit in New Zealand’s drinking water standards.
This is particularly worrying as our drinking water standards have a Maximum Allowable Value (MAV) of 10 µg / L lead in drinking water when it is 5 µg / L in other countries like Canada, Sweden and Denmark – and Australia is considering this right away.
Plumbing and drainage products sold in Australia must be watermarked to show that they are fit for purpose. The products are provided with the watermark symbol so that consumers can clearly identify compliant products. In New Zealand the system is voluntary. If a homeowner buys a faucet online, how can they tell that it is not high in lead? You can not.
The Master Plumbers study was later expanded to include a joint project between Massey University and the Center for Integrated Biowaste Research. This found that domestic faucets are a significant source of trace metal contamination in drinking water.
The study concluded that the obvious way to get rid of this source would be through New Zealand Building Law. If the joint Australian-New Zealand tapware standard were cited in the building code, all tapware suppliers would have to meet the requirements.
Master Plumbers raised this issue with the Department of Economy, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). However, we have been informed that sanitary products will be taken into account for all other building products within the framework of the proposed changes to the building law.
This would result in suppliers having to make statements about the products they sell. However, if the system is not checked, it will not work. In our opinion, the only way to make a product quality system truly effective is through third party verification. At least 15 to 20% of the products would have to be tested independently in the laboratory each year. Without this, there is no way of knowing that suppliers are actually meeting minimum standards.
The real problem here, however, is that plumbing products shouldn’t be bundled with wood and nails. This is a public health problem. The Department of Health is responsible for drinking water quality, and MBIE is responsible for the quality of their sanitary products – and it seems like they are spending the money without devising an overall strategy to contain lead pollution.
Although the Ministry of Health recognizes that metals are leaching from pipes and fittings in people’s homes, drinking water standards are not legally enforceable and are not monitored by the ministry. Instead, it is recommended that households rinse a glass from their drinking faucet every morning to remove the dissolved lead in the water. It’s just not good enough. Rinsing water before use only reduces lead contamination. It does not remove lead from drinking water.
New Zealand must switch to lead-free tapware and fittings. If Australia gets there first, we could become a dump for substandard imports.
There is an urgent need to update our drinking water standards to lower the maximum allowable levels of lead in drinking water, and all sanitary products sold in this country should be independently third-party verified.
More than 100 years ago, the master plumbers had the motto “Salus Populi Suprema Lex” – people’s health is the top priority. We still stand by this motto today.
■ Greg Wallace is the managing director of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers.
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