The “NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 Drinking water system components - Lead content” standard, jointly developed by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), describes test methods for determining the lead content of products based on their wetted surface area.
This standard is a standard that establishes a standardized methodology for determining and verifying product compliance to minimize lead contaminants. This standard is consistent with the United States Safe Drinking Water Act and other national regulations. The NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 standard serves as a basis for determining compliance with these regulations.
This standard only addresses lead content. Often, regulations also require compliance with a removal or leachate testing standard (such as NSF/ANSI 61 Drinking water system components - Health effects" and NSF/ANSI 62 Drinking water distillation systems).
The NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 standard includes:
The main products covered by this standard are:
In short, NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 certification is important for manufacturers of virtually all types of plumbing products, such as valves, faucets, pipes and backflow preventers, to achieve product acceptance and code compliance. Typically, regulations require water product components to have a low lead content of no more than 0,25 percent. The NSF/ANSI 372 certification mark identifies stringent compliance for water supply products, plumbing products, individual components and materials.
Only about 3 percent of all water on Earth is freshwater, and most of that is stored in glaciers and polar ice caps. Water, especially clean, drinkable water, has long been recognized as our most precious resource. That’s why it’s important that the water that flows through your tap is purified and that the pipe components that make up the distribution pathway are tested as safe for use in a potable water system.
One of the primary potential sources of contaminants is the products, components, and materials that make up a plumbing system. Therefore, regulations are being made and standards are being published to ensure that drinking water and its resources are protected and that safe drinking water is provided. In recent years, regulations have reduced the maximum lead content on wetted surfaces of plumbing products to a weighted average of 0,25 percent, and the calculation method used to determine lead content is now included in the NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 standard. This standard includes a formula for calculating the weighted average lead content of each product and specific procedures for testing lead content.
Lead has been deemed unsafe for human consumption because it interferes with the brain, kidneys, and muscles, causing health problems such as anemia, hypertension, muscle pain, and disorientation. Unlike many other toxins, the human body has no way to eliminate lead through excretion or metabolism. Once in the body, lead stays there forever. By the way, a common misconception is that the NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 standard only addresses lead, but it actually controls other contaminants as well.
Our organization has a strong workforce that closely follows global developments in science and technology and continuously improves itself. Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses, and evaluations provided for businesses in various sectors, are testing services compliant with the “NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 Drinking water system components - Lead content” standard.
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