The American National Standards for health effects of drinking water treatment chemicals (NSF/ANSI 60) and plumbing system components (NSF/ANSI 61) have been updated for the Canadian market and published as National Standards of Canada.

The standards initially published in 1988 have been renamed NSF/ANSI/CAN 60: 2018 Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals - Health Effects and NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: 2018 Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects.

NSF International, a global public health organization accredited by both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI-Accredited Product Certification Body – Accreditation #0216) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), facilitated development of the voluntary, consensus standards by a committee of stakeholders representing both U.S. and Canadian public health officials, regulators, industry, product certifiers and various user groups.

While the standards were only recently designated as National Standards of Canada, the previously published versions have been widely recognized in Canada for years, where nine of 13 provinces/territories in Canada currently require drinking water treatment chemicals to comply with the requirements of NSF/ANSI 60. Eleven of 13 provinces/territories require drinking water system components to comply with the requirements of NSF/ANSI 61.

“These standards have been in use in the United States and parts of Canada as NSF/ANSI standards since 1988, and they have been instrumental in helping to reduce drinking water contaminants at the consumer’s tap,” said Jessica Evans, director of standards at NSF International.

In addition, NSF International published a companion standard, NSF/ANSI/CAN 600: 2018 Health Effects Evaluation and Criteria for Chemicals in Drinking Water, which defines the toxicology review procedures for evaluating specific chemicals or contaminants in drinking water resulting from use of treatment chemicals and water distribution system components. The standard evaluates the potential human health risk of contaminants that may be imparted into drinking water under anticipated use conditions.

“The health risk assessment information in NSF/ANSI/CAN 600 was previously available as Annex A of standards 60 and 61,” Evans said. “By publishing it as a companion standard, we expect there will be an increase in the availability of toxicology data.” Anyone obtaining a copy of NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 or NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 will also receive a complimentary copy of NSF/ANSI/CAN 600.

These drinking water product standards were originally developed at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1985 and first published in 1988 as part of the larger U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act effort. Compliance with NSF standards 60 and 61 is required in the regulations of 48 of the 50 U.S. states.