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
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