AWWA JAW62006

The American National Standards Institute/NSF Standard 61, Section 8, was intended to protect consumers from inline brass plumbing products that could release excessive concentrations of lead to drinking water. Both the public and the drinking water community assumed that the standard was effective in safeguarding public health. The authors conducted experiments to examine the practical rigor of the test and found that the standard was lacking. Factors such as variability in the chemistry of the test water and the duration of the test affected the aggressivity of the test waters. Results also showed that small devices made of pure lead could easily pass the lead leaching protocol. Contrary to all expectations, purchase of NSF Section 8 certified devices does not prevent lead leaching into water supplies. In addition to detailing the standard's shortcomings, the authors offer several recommendations for revising and toughening the standard. These include specifying the freshness of testing solutions, changing the normalization formula, and tying the results of a performance test to field experience. The authors also advocate for a dramatic reduction in the allowable lead content of brass products unless the testing protocol can be brought more in line with known drinking water treatment chemistry and field experiences with lead sampling and exposure analysis. Includes 49 references, table, figures.