THE
PLUMBING
BULLETIN
A publication of NSF International for Plumbing Code and Regulatory Officials SPRING/SUMMER 2008
NSF MARKS DENOTE DIFFERENT USES
NSF/ANSI Standard 61–Drinking Water System Components–Health Effects, establishes minimum health effects requirements for the chemical contaminants and impurities that are indirectly imparted to drinking water from products, components, and materials used in drinking water systems. NSF/ANSI Standard 14–Plastic Piping System Components and Related Materials, establishes physical, performance, and health effects requirements for these products. The diagram below summarizes the NSF Marks covered by each standard.
NEW LEAD EXTRACTION REQUIREMENTS BALLOTED
WITH THE RENEWED FOCUS regarding
lead in drinking water, the NSF Drinking Water Additives Joint Committee recently updated the requirements of lead for water contact materials. Regulators, legislators, utilities, and manufacturers participated in the revision process to help ensure public health protection.The Joint Committee also formed a Lead Task Group to explore ways to increase the public health protection of NSF 61 for lead. In November 2005, the task group issued an interim report and continued to meet in 2006. Based on those discussions, the task group proposed changes in the evaluation of lead leaching, including a reduction in the total allowable concentration of lead from 15 ug/L to 5 ug/L.These recommendations have been incorporated into NSF/ANSI Standard 61 with an implementation date of July 1, 2012, to allow manufacturers time for redesign.
STA N DA R D 61
H E A LT H E F F E C TS M A R KS
NSF-61
S TA N DA R D 1 4
H E A LT H AND PERFORMANCE M A R KS Potable water NSF-pw Well casing NSF-wc
PERFORMANCE MARKS FOR END USE
Corrosive waste: NSF-cw Drain, waste, vent: NSF-dwv Radiant flooring heating: NSF-rfh Reclaimed water: NSF-rw Sewer: NSF-sewer Gas: NSF-gas Geothermal: NSF-geothermal
ABOUT NSF INTERNATIONAL
NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect the public by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. In the area of plumbing, NSF writes standards and certifies
www.nsf.org
products for drinking water system components, water filtration and treatment devices, drain, waste and vent system components, pool and spa equipment and wastewater treatment devices. For more information, contact Jeremy Brown, Code and Regulatory Manager, at brown@nsf.org or 734.769.5196.
THE
PLUMBING
BULLETIN
A publication of NSF International for Canadian Plumbing Code and Regulatory Officials SPRING/SUMMER 2008
cNSF Mark Accepted Throughout Canada
RECOGNITION OF THE cNSF Mark (NSF’s Canadian Certification Program) continues to grow. Regulators in all Canadian provinces accept the cNSF Mark, based on the Standards Council of Canada’s accreditation of NSF’s program. Look for the “C” indicator in the 8 o’clock C position, demonstrating that the product meets Canadian requirements, including standards referenced in the National Plumbing Code of Canada. The product mark indicates the standard (typically a CSA standard) to which the product is certified.To date, NSF has certified over 100 manufacturers and 9,500 products to Canadian requirements.The table below is only a sampling; for a complete certification listings, visit www.nsf.org/business/search_listings/.
Liaison Organizations
NSF is actively involved in Canadian plumbing issues through participation with: • Canadian Advisory Council on Plumbing • Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water • Ontario Plumbing Inspector Association Sponsors Organization • Plumbing Officials Association of British Columbia • Manitoba Building Officials Association • CSA Technical Committee Meetings B137, B1800, B125, B483, B481 • NRC Standing Committee on Building and Plumbing • Canadian Advisory Council for Electrical Safety • National Drinking Water Conference • CWWA Water Quality Committee • American Water Works Ontario Section • Standards Council of Canada • Alberta Mechanical Officials Society
PRODUCT
Faucets and mixing valves Waste assemblies Flexible plumbing connectors Polyethylene pipe PVC material Cross-linked polyethylene CPVC pipe and fittings PE/AL/PE pipe and fittings PEX/AL/PEX pipe and fittings Polypropylene ABS pipe and fittings PVC fittings Polypropylene Air admittance valves Copper fittings Copper tube ABS cellular core pipe
REQUIREMENT
CSA B125.1 CSA B125.2 CSA B125.3 CSA B137.1 CSA B137.3 CSA B137.5 CSA B137.6 CSA B137.9 CSA B137.10 CSA B137.11 CSA B181.1 CSA B181.2 CSA B182.3 ASSE 1051 ASME B16.22 ASTM B88 ASTM F628
Note that although the National Plumbing Code of Canada does not directly reference NSF/ANSI Standard 61, NSF/ANSI 61 is referenced in all CSA standards pertaining to drinking water products. This includes CSA B125 and CSA B137 series of standards, which are required by the National Plumbing Code of Canada.
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The Plumbing Bulletin Spring/Summer 2008
NSF/ANSI
STANDARDS
NSF CERTIFICATION OF PLASTIC PIPING FOR POTABLE WATER
• Verify and observe quality control
requirements
• Sample product for monitoring
testing
• Review product marking • Verify that product complies
with NSF standards and policies.
Health Effects Testing
Plastic potable water products are required to meet NSF/ANSI Standard 61– Drinking Water System Components– Health Effects by U.S. and Canadian drinking water standards. This standard establishes the requirements for chemical contaminants and impurities that are indirectly imparted to drinking water from products, components and materials used in drinking water systems. Products are tested by exposing them to three different formulated exposure waters: pH 5, ph 8 and pH 10.The exposure waters are then analyzed for contaminants.The three formulated waters are each aggressive toward various contaminants of concern. Products are exposed to water at 73°F (23°C), 140°F (60°C), or 180°F (82°C), depending on the temperature and end use of the product. Products are conditioned by exposure to the formulated waters for 14 days, and water is changed on 10 of the 14 days.Water collected from the final 16-hour exposure period is analyzed for contaminants. Any contaminants detected must be below EPA or Health Canada levels for regulated contaminants. continued on next page
NSF CERTIFIES POTABLE WATER plastic piping
to the American National Standard, NSF/ANSI Standard 14–Plastic Piping System Components and Related Materials in addition to other required U.S. and Canadian standards. NSF/ANSI Standard 14 provides a significant benefit by combining the minimum physical, performance, health effects, product testing, long-term strength and quality control requirements that are key to ensuring proper product performance in the field. The certification process involves several steps.This example is based on testing and certification of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe.
This article follows the NSF certification process for crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) pipe.
which analytical tests are needed to evaluate the health safety of the material. For decades, NSF’s certification policy has prohibited lead as an intentional ingredient in plastic pipe fittings and materials —with the exception of lead contained in brass, which meets the requirements of the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act.
Application
Manufacturers identify the products and production facilities to be certified, as well as provide a full formulation disclosure, including all materials, process aids and suppliers. NSF also requires ingredient level formulation information from ingredient suppliers.
Production Facility Inspection
NSF certification requires both initial and ongoing inspections to ensure compliance with applicable requirements. In fact, NSF’s policies require that certified potable water pipe facilities receive three unannounced inspections annually, the scope of which includes:
• Review of formulation • Review of manufacturing process
Formulation Review
NSF chemists and toxicologists conduct a formulation review to determine
• Verify use of authorized raw
materials
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NSF/ANSI
STANDARDS
PEX tubing manufacturers must perform dimensions on tubing at least every two hours, burst pressure testing every 24 hours and degree of crosslinking weekly. This quality control testing helps to ensure consistent quality.
For non-regulated contaminants in the extraction water, NSF/ANSI Standard 61 sets health-based pass/fail levels based on review of available toxicity data using the risk assessment procedures in Annex A of the standard. NSF/ANSI Standard 61 and the formulation review determine the specific chemical analysis for each product type. Common analytical tests include:
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) • Semi-volatile compounds (base neutral
failure to develop a stresstime relationship. For PEX, two of the samples are tested at an elevated temperature for a minimum of 10,000 hours (over 400 days) and one sample is tested for a minimum of 16,000 hours (over 660 days).
Product Design Standards
Products must also meet product design standards such as ASTM F876: Standard Specification for Crosslinked Polyethylene (PEX) Tubing and ASTM F877: Standard Specification for Crosslinked Polyethylene (PEX) Plastic Hot- and Cold-Water Distribution Systems, as well as CSA B 137.5 PEX tubing systems for pressure applications. Testing includes dimensions, density, 1000-hour sustained pressure, hydrostatic burst, environmental stress cracking, degree of cross-linking, stabilizer functionality, chlorine resistance, thermocycling and excessive temperature sustained pressure. ASTM F876 requires all PEX pipes used in potable water to be evaluated against the chlorine resistance requirements using the ASTM F2023: Standard Test Method for Evaluating the Oxidative Resistance of Crosslinked Polyethylene (PEX) Tubing and Systems to Hot Chlorinated Water and have a minimum extrapolated test lifetime of 50 years.
acid scan by gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy)
• Phenolics • Scan for regulated metals such as
antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium and thallium
• Methanol • Tertiary butyl alcohol • Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) • Any other potential contaminant iden-
tified during formulation review.
Performance Testing
NSF/ANSI Standard 14 requires materials for pressure pipe applications to meet a minimum 50-year long-term strength requirement through establishment of a hydrostatic design stress in accordance with the Plastic Pipe Institute’s Technical Report Number 3. This includes testing pipes from at least three different lots of material and testing at two temperatures: –73°F and an elevated temperature, typically 180°F or 200°F. To establish the hydrostatic design basis, products are repeatedly tested to
Quality Control
NSF/ANSI Standard 14 requires manufacturers to perform critical quality control testing at the production facility at specified frequencies. For example,
For more information on NSF certification of plastic piping products, please contact Nasrin Kashefi, 734.913.5743 or e-mail kashefi@nsf.org.
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STANDARD
61
STAINLESS STEEL PIPING IN DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS
AS OF MARCH 2008, two stainless steel piping manufacturers—Viega, LLC and Douglas Barwick, Inc. —have been listed by NSF to Standard 61 for drinking water applications. While the use of stainless steel
NSF/UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE CERTIFICATION MARKS
FOR DECADES, NSF HAS CERTIFIED products to
the standards in the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). Section 301.1.1 of the UPC states,“All pipe, pipe fittings, traps, fixtures, material and devices used in a plumbing system shall be listed or labeled (third party certified) by a listing agency (accredited conformity assessment body)… .” The UPC, which is the model code used by some U.S. jurisdictions, also requires products to be certified to the plumbing material standards in Table 14-1 of the code. The NSF Mark, which indicates product certification to a standard accepted in the UPC, is sufficient to demonstrate code compliance. Although not technically required, many inspectors have asked for a mark that demonstrates compliance with the entire code itself, rather than just the product standard(s). NSF certifies products to the Uniform Plumbing Code as an optional benefit to manufacturers, inspectors and users. Products also listed to the Uniform Plumbing Code bear the NSF-U.P. Code mark. NSF certification has been accepted in all U.S. jurisdictions that use the Uniform Plumbing Code. To date, NSF has certified more than 100 manufacturers and 7,800 products to the U.P. Code, and hundreds of other manufacturers demonstrate product certification by listing their products to the NSF/ANSI standards referenced in the UPC.
components in NSF certified products is not uncommon, these are the first stainless steel pipe manufacturers to be listed to NSF/ANSI-61. Previously, if regulators wanted to approve these products for use in their jurisdiction, they would have to do so without health effects listings as alternative materials or methods. Because no stainless steel piping was listed to NSF/ANSI-61 for so many years, regulators who approved the use of stainless steel piping referenced NSF-61’s Annex C (Acceptable Materials) to help justify the use of non-certified products. Annex C states that Types 304, 304L, 316, 316L, 2205, 2203, 2101, and 2304 when used in certain applications did not require metals testing. This annex only addressed piping used for ambient temperature (23°C). Now regulators can specify and enforce the use of NSF-61 Listed stainless steel piping. In addition, for products listed with an elevated temperature rating, stainless steel can be used in hot and cold water distribution systems. NSF encourages the use of certified products because they have been evaluated for all potential health effects, and production is monitored for modifications, potential contamination in production, quality control
Looking for NSF certified products? A complete list is just a click away: http://www.nsf.org/business/ search_listings/.
and good manufacturing processes.
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SPRING/SUMMER 2008
info@nsf.org
THE PLUMBING BULLETIN
A publication of the NSF Plumbing and Regulatory Outreach Program Bob Ferguson, Vice President, Water Programs Nasrin Kashefi, General Manager, NSF Plumbing Certification Programs Jeremy Brown, Code and Regulatory Manager Editor: Greta Houlahan, Communications Manager NSF International 789 N. Dixboro Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 U.S.A. Web site: www.nsf.org Phone: 1. 800. NSF-MARK Fax: 734.769-0109 For additional copies of this publication or to submit ideas for articles, contact Greta Houlahan at 800. NSF-MARK, ext. 5723, or houlahan@nsf.org.
NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.
QUESTIONS? CALL THE NSF HOTLINE
The NSF Regulatory and Consumer Affairs Hotline is a valuable resource for plumbing officials, inspectors, consumers and manufacturers who have questions about product certification. The hotline, which fields more than 15,000 inquiries each year, emphasizes the importance of NSF Certification, defines what is required to receive NSF Certification and explains the difference between certain NSF Certification Marks. When you have a question or comment, call 877.8NSF-HELP (1.877.867.3435) or e-mail NSF’s Public Information Officer Cheryl Luptowski at info@nsf.org.
brown@nsf.org
NSF TRAINING AT YOUR REQUEST
NSF staff can provide product certification training during a trade show or meeting of your trade association. To discuss scheduling options, please call 1-800-NSF-MARK, ext. 5196 or e-mail Jeremy Brown at brown@nsf.org.
kozanecki@nsf.org
CALLING ALL PLUMBING EXPERTS!
NSF is seeking experts to serve on the NSF Joint Committee on Plastic Piping System Components. Members provide technical guidance, review and vote on revisions to NSF/ANSI Standard 14, and address public health and safety issues. There are current openings in the regulatory and user groups. The committee usually meets once a year at NSF headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Expenses are reimbursed for members of the regulatory community. For details, contact Sarah Kozanecki at 734-827-6867 or kozanecki@nsf.org. If you’re receiving this newsletter by mail, it means you haven’t signed up for NSF’s Regulatory Plumbing e-newsletters. To be added to the e-mail list, please contact Jeremy Brown at brown@nsf.org or call 734.769.5196. NSF International P.O. Box 13140 Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140 USA Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 56 Ann Arbor, MI