California lead content requirements for plumbing products
goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010.
New lead content requirements for plumbing products have
been added to California's Health & Safety Code (Section 116875;
commonly known as AB1953), which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010. After
this date, any pipe, fitting or fixture intended to convey or dispense water
for human consumption through drinking or cooking must meet a weighted average
lead content of <0.25 percent. The requirement of this law was
incorporated as an annex into the American National Standard for health effects
of drinking water system components: NSF/ANSI Standard 61.
NSF reports, however, that there have been misleading
statements from some industry sources indicating NSF 61, Annex G does not provide
for compliance with the requirements of AB1953.
East Bay
Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which provides water to more than 1.3
million residents in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area, was one of the
original sponsors of AB1953. Representatives from EBMUD worked with
other utilities, regulators, plumbing industry and product manufacturing
representatives to develop NSF 61, Annex
G.
Richard Sykes, manager of
natural resources, EBMUD said: “Annex G of NSF/ANSI 61 - 2008 was developed
with input from California’s Department of Public Health and California’s East
Bay Municipal Utility District and establishes a conservative protocol to
determine product compliance with the 0.25 percent maximum weighted average
lead content requirement of California Health & Safety Code (Section
116875). The DPH has stated to us (EBMUD) that compliance with Annex G
ensures compliance with this requirement.”
Sykes explains:
“I made the request to the NSF Drinking Water Additives Joint Committee with
oversight of the standard to include the annex to allow manufacturers the
option of being certified to California’s reduced lead content
requirement. The annex was developed with input from stakeholders in
California and care was taken to assure full compatibility with the law. The
adoption of Annex G last December fulfills the request made by the Joint
Committee.”
The NSF 61 committee is currently conducting a
series of round robin testing with manufacturers, product certification
organizations and the California Department of Toxic Substances to validate a
referee analysis method for alloy lead content when testing of materials is
required. When completed, the method will be incorporated into the
standard.
The annex was developed to establish an American
National Standard to determine product compliance with the <0.25 percent
maximum weighted average lead content requirement of the California Health
& Safety Code, as well as a standard for other states to reference if
they are developing similar regulations. A similar law has been enacted in
Vermont and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2010.
NSF is
presently certifying products to NSF 61, Annex G. Certified products will bear
the proper marks signifying compliance with the standard and the new California
requirement.
More than 1,650 products have been
certified by NSF to meet Annex G requirements. To view NSF/ANSI Standard 61
Annex G certified drinking water system components, visitNSF's
Standard 61 Certified Listings.
To view NSF/ANSI
Standard 14 Annex G certified plumbing products, visitNSF's Standard 14 Certified Listings.
NSF also will be testing these products on an ongoing basis
to verify that they continue to comply with the mandated lead content
restrictions.
For more information on Annex G and NSF/ANSI
Standard 61, visitwww.nsf.org.
Source:
NSF International
NSF Clarifies California Lead Content Requirements
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!