Revisions to drinking water standard tighten lead leaching allowance for plumbing products

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Newly published changes to NSF / ANSI / CAN 61, the required standard for drinking water products in the USA and Canada, further limit the amount of lead that can be released from sanitary products, NSF International announced today.

The much stricter requirements were approved after nearly three years of research into various test methods to reduce lead leaching from end devices that emit drinking water, as well as from other plumbing components.

“Aggressive lead monitoring programs are being conducted in schools, daycare centers, and communities as part of ongoing public health protection. As a facilitator of the standards that formed the basis of the US Safe Drinking Water Act, NSF International is pleased to be a part of this important updates on reducing lead in our drinking water, “said Jessica Evans, director of standards development at NSF International, a global public health organization and standards developer.

The more stringent pass / fail criteria for certification under the standard require that the maximum amount of lead leaching be reduced from 5 micrograms (μg) to 1 μg for plumbing endpoint devices that dispense drinking water such as faucets, and from 3 μg to 0.5 μg for other sanitary components such as connection hoses and small shut-off valves. Mechanical inline devices and other product categories according to NSF / ANSI / CAN 61 are not subject to the new requirements.

NSF International supports the Joint Committee on Drinking Water Additives – System Components, which monitors and approves changes to NSF / ANSI / CAN 61: Components of the Drinking Water System – Impact on Health and began investigating options with lower lead content in 2017. Revisions to the standard have been approved by the Council of Public Health Consultants and ratified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) in accordance with their standard development processes. The joint committee is composed of a balanced representation from the regulatory / public health, manufacturing and consumer sectors.

“These new lower requirements for lead leaching into drinking water are important changes that will provide additional protection for families. The joint committee and a dedicated working group spent nearly three years reviewing and studying various options and test methods to make them better to establish strict limits, “said France Lemieux, chairman of the Joint Committee on Drinking Water Additives – System Components and director of materials and treatment, Office of Water and Air Quality, Health Canada.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Health in Canada have determined that no lead content is considered safe, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has regulations to limit lead exposure in drinking water for schools and day-care centers required centers on no more than 1 ug / l.

According to the new standard requirements, the certification of the applicable products according to the stricter criteria for leaching lead is optional for the next three years so that manufacturers have time to comply with them. On January 1, 2024, all products must meet the stricter requirements.

Products certified according to the new criteria of the standard must indicate compliance in their product literature and / or packaging so that schools and consumers can easily identify products with the reduced limits for lead washout.

NSF / ANSI / CAN 61 also covers other contaminants in drinking water.

Dangerous bacteria can be found in school water systems

Provided by NSF International

Quote: Revisions to the drinking water standard tighten the allowance for leaching lead for sanitary products (2020, September 22nd), accessed on March 27th, 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2020-09-standard-tighten-leaching-plumbing -products.html

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