Global Connect Advisor Lee Mercer, IAPMO – California’s AB 100 Impacts Sales Of Drinking Water Products |
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If you’re a manufacturer of water system products intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption and you plan to sell them in the United States, specifically in California in the coming year, you will want to continue reading this post.
In October of 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation mandating lower lead levels for drinking water end point devices. This legislation (now California Health and Safety Code Section 116876, effective January 1, 2023) lowers the allowable lead leach levels in drinking water endpoint devices from the current (5 μg/L) five micrograms per liter to (1 μg/L) one microgram per liter.
The law defines a drinking water endpoint device as:
“… a single device, such as a plumbing fitting, fixture, or faucet, that is typically installed within the last one liter of the water distribution system of a building.”
Examples of covered products include lavatory, kitchen and bar faucets, remote chillers, hot and cold water dispensers, drinking fountains, drinking fountain bubblers, water coolers, glass fillers and residential refrigerator ice makers.
Additionally, the law makes effective the following requirements:
- Endpoint devices manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2023, and offered for sale in the state, must be certified by an ANSI-accredited third party as compliant with the Q ≤ 1 requirements in the NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 – 2020 Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects
- Establishes a sell through date of July 1, 2023, for depletion of distributor inventory for devices that do not comply with the Q ≤ 1 requirements in NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 – 2020.
- Requires that consumer-facing product packaging or product labeling of all compliant products must be marked “NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q ≤ 1” in accordance with the NSF 61-2020 standard.
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Understanding Certified Products and Why They Matter to Consumers |
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Product certification, which includes product listing and labeling, is essential in the plumbing industry. This helps protect the public’s health and safety. Third- party certification agencies ensure the products that bear a certification mark have met the industry standards and plumbing codes that include critical safety requirements.
Given the surge in online shopping, it is more important than ever for the public to understand product certification. In the past when purchasing products, most people would go to a few well- established stores. Those stores would go through the process of ensuring the products they sell are certified to the appropriate requirements.
Now with online shopping, people can easily purchase items from sellers that may not check these requirements or from manufacturers themselves who may not have gone through the certification and have no way to show the product complies with the applicable standards and plumbing codes. Understanding product certification helps one to ensure the product purchased complies with the appropriate requirements.
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IAPMO Publishes UPC Private Sewage Disposal Systems as a Standalone Document |
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Ontario, Calif. — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®) has published IAPMO/UPC/Appendix H-2021, Private Sewage Disposal Systems, as a standalone document. This document is a direct extract from Appendix H of the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®), which was developed via an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited development process. The IAPMO/UPC/Appendix H-2021 is a document that can be utilized by any jurisdiction regardless of the adopted plumbing code or building codes.
A copy of IAPMO/UPC/Appendix H-2021 can be purchased HERE.
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IAPMO Concludes 93rd Annual Education and Business Conference |
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Charlotte, North Carolina — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) last week conducted its 93rd annual Education and Business Conference, the association’s first in-person conference since 2019, at the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel.
David Gans, chief building official, Oceanside, California, was reelected president and Steve Panelli, chief plumbing inspector, city and county of San Francisco, was reelected vice president. Rex Crawford, retired chief plumbing inspector, Lincoln, Nebraska, will serve as secretary; Rick Moreno, Astro Mechanical Contractors president, will serve as director at large, contractor; Steve Fernlund, St. Paul, Minnesota, plumbing inspector, Keith Bonenfant, California Department of General Services plumbing and mechanical inspector; and Allen Becker, combination plans examiner III, Henderson, Nevada, will serve as district directors.
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IAPMO Government Relations Corner |
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IAPMO Contributes to WHO Global Call to Action on Lead in Drinking Water |
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Washington, D.C. — Lead exposure from drinking water systems is a major challenge facing countries around the world but it is solvable. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued global guidance addressing this critical situation that focuses on specific steps countries can take to reduce the threats lead presents to public health in their systems and to prevent the future use of lead-containing parts from water systems.
The guidance emerged from a nearly two-year effort by a working group that included the University of North Carolina, World Vision International, UNICEF, and the WHO. The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®) served as a Technical Advisory Group member, contributing technical assistance to support the assessment and management of lead contamination in drinking water supplies.
“We know the potential dangers that arise by having lead and other contaminants in drinking water. However, we also know it is solvable in communities around the world,” said WHO Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Technical Officer Jennifer De France. “This technical brief takes an important step to show communities around the world what needs to be done to remediate lead in their drinking water and how to do it.”
Lead poisoning kills 900,000 people globally every year and the WHO estimates that 30% of the global burden of developmental intellectual disability of unknown origin is because of lead. Water systems are just one source of overall lead exposure. Children and pregnant women are most vulnerable to unsatisfactory health outcomes from even low levels of lead exposure. Among the risks cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells.
“The technical brief is an important step forward,” said Dr. Aaron Salzberg, director of the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It represents years of work by the WHO with technical experts, governments, stakeholders, and many other partners to bring together the best guidance on how we can provide lead-free drinking water services. The guide shows how this can be done. It’s not rocket science. The next step is to get donors, governments and community leaders to step up and commit to taking action to prevent and remediate lead and other toxic metal exposures in their communities — especially in drinking water.”
Given these high stakes, eliminating lead in all ways possible is urgent, as the WHO spells out in the guidelines titled “Lead in drinking-water: Health risks, monitoring and corrective actions.” The WHO provides six steps that should be taken if elevated lead levels are found in drinking water and recommends measures that stakeholders — regulatory agencies, water suppliers, operators and installers of hand pump supplies, plumbers, and property owners and consumers — can take to reduce exposure to lead from drinking water. Notably, the guidance includes sections on the importance of certified plumbing products and the need for more trained plumbers.
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Modernizing FIFRA Compliance for Water Filtration Systems |
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The Water Quality Association (WQA), International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), and more than 30 Coalition Partners, have submitted a letter to the EPA asking to discuss an effort to modernize the enforcement of regulations pertaining to certain water filtration systems under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
"We respectfully request a meeting to further review the EPA’s interpretation of the statute and discuss a proposal for creating an alternative compliance pathway for manufacturers to adhere to this regulation. Since 1976, the EPA Office of Pesticide, under FIFRA, has treated water filtration systems that inhibit bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms in drinking water as pesticides and pesticidal devices. Although the EPA has good intentions, the agency’s ambiguity, and inconsistent enforcement of FIFRA on water filtration systems in recent years have caused significant delays and detrimental impacts on the water filtration industry. Ultimately, this has a cascading effect on consumers, safety, and the economy. Additionally, EPA has continued to require manufacturers to comply with rigorous mandates including labeling, registration, and other requirements that often have little bearing on human health and environmental safety. This can be costly, time-consuming, and with little guidance from EPA, confusing. In response to these concerns, a coalition came together to review the regulation with the purpose of crafting a revised compliance pathway that better aligns with the original intent of FIFRA to protect human health and the environment."
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New Jersey Adopts 2021 National Standard Plumbing Code |
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New Jersey has officially adopted the 2021 edition of the National Standard Plumbing Code (NSPC) to serve as the plumbing code for the Garden State.
The Division of Codes and Standards, which is part of the state’s Department of Community Affairs, adopted the NSPC with state-specific amendments on Monday.
The 2021 NSPC provides the latest information about common materials, fixtures, devices and equipment used or installed in plumbing systems. The NSPC contains revisions that have been included to promote water efficiency, sustainability and resiliency. This new edition is printed in the popular illustrated format, with comments and illustrations clearly shown as supplemental information. The illustrations and supplementary notes make it an indispensable training tool.
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IAPMO Applauds Passage of Federal Premise Plumbing Research Legislation |
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Washington, D.C. — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®), applauds the U.S. Congress on passage of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, legislation that includes creation of a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) program, in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for premise plumbing research — a federal policy for which IAPMO has advocated in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade. The legislation now heads to the White House where it is expected to be signed into law by President Biden.
Premise plumbing, defined in the legislation as “the water distribution system located within property lines of a property, including all buildings and permanent structures on such property,” resides at the heart of IAPMO’s flagship document, the American National Standard Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC®). For many years, IAPMO, along with industry partners, has worked with NIST to bring plumbing research to the fore — especially where it concerns efficiency, resiliency, and the emergence of waterborne threats such as legionella brought about by changes in how water moves through plumbing systems in the 21st century.
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to authorize NIST to conduct metrology research on premise plumbing in relation to water safety, security, efficiency, sustainability and resilience, and coordinate research activities with academia, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and other federal agencies.
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IAPMO offers Free COVID-19 Webinar Series Click here for details
IAPMO Standards offers free summary of standard changes. Click here to access.
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Read the 2021 codes online for FREE! |
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Season Two of The Authority Podcast: Plumbing and Mechanical is underway, with a new episode releasing once a month. Be sure to tune in and subscribe on your podcast app of choice. |
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Did you know that you can ask a Code question for free at IAPMO? Click here for details.
Did you know that IAPMO social media not only post announcement and events, but also Uniform Codes’ Answer Analysis? Follow @IAPMO social media today to stay updated on what’s going in plumbing industry
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