Designer Drinking Water Faucets

Q. "What are the new lead-free plumbing laws?"
A. The new lead-free laws require plumbing products that come into contact with drinking water to be essentially lead-free (0.25%) weighted average). These laws have been passed in California, Maryland, and Vermont, with more states to follow, and national implementation in 2014. In order for companies to ship these plumbing products to locations with these stringent lead free laws, they must be ANSI certified lead-free.

Q. "How does lead get into drinking water?"
A. Primarily, trace amounts of lead get into drinking water due to aging infrastructures, such as old pipes and plumbing system parts. The plumbing manufacturer's institute (PMI) states that over the past decade, lead levels in plumbing fixture fittings have been reduced to insignificant levels due to improvements in modern manufacturing processes.

Q. "What does it mean to have ANSI Certification for lead free plumbing products?"
A. Laws requiring plumbing products that come in to contact with drinking water to be essentially lead-free (0.25% weighted average) have been passed in California, Louisiana, Maryland, and Vermont. In order for companies to ship these plumbing products to locations in CA, LA, MD and VT, they must be ANSI certified lead free.

Q. "What is CA AB 1953, LA Act No. 362, MD HB 372, and VT S.152 and how is this different from previous low-lead legislation?"
A. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the amount of lead in drinking water under guidelines established in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (passed in 1974; amended in 1988 and 1996). This Act defines "lead-free" as not more than 8% lead in pipes and fixture fittings. PLEASE NOTE: Use of the term "lead-free" varies between the new legislation in CA (AB 1953), LA ( Act No. 362), MD (HB 372), and VT (S.152), and in the current Federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. In the new legislation for CA, LA, MD and VT only (as of Jan 2013), it will mean 0.25% or less (weighted average). Similar national legislation is scheduled to go into effect Jan 2014.