Updated low lead requirements for plumbing manufacturers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized its changes to existing regulations to provide a framework of compliance under the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011 (RLDWA). The changes codify aspects of RLDWA, which lowered the allowable maximum lead content of plumbing products to further protect the public from lead used in plumbing materials that provide water for human consumption.
The final rule “requires manufacturers with 10 or more employees, and importers entering products purchased from or manufactured by manufacturers with 10 or more employees, to obtain third-party certification by an ANSI-accredited third-party certification body. The requiring of third-party certification will not pose a significant impact on the current products sold since current model plumbing codes adopted by state and local authorities already require that plumbing system products intended for potable water applications comply with NSF/ANSI 372, Drinking Water System Components — Lead Content.”
The plumbing manufacturing industry began transitioning its products to the new lower lead levels circa 2014. Even better, the International Plumbing Code and International Residential Code were amended to reflect the RLDWA lead content requirements in drinking water pipes, pipe fittings, joints, valves, faucets and fixture fittings in the 2015 edition. For several years, ICC Evaluation Service has offered certification service to the requirements of NSF/ANSI 372 and is available to address your certification needs.
Please contact Code Council Vice President of PMG Programs Guy Tomberlin for questions.
About the Author
Guy Tomberlin is the vice president of Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Swimming Pool Codes Programs and Resources for the International Code Council. He brings more than three decades of experience in code enforcement, policy implementation and training development. Prior to joining the Code Council, Tomberlin served as the senior regulatory engineer for codes and regulatory services at Underwriters Laboratories where he led PMG code development and code official support-related activities. For nearly 35 years, Tomberlin assumed many building safety roles within the building department for Fairfax County, Va.; he retired in 2019 as the branch chief of commercial and residential building inspections. Tomberlin is a past president of the International Code Council, the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association, the Virginia Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors Association, and the Code Council Region VII chapter.
