Wading Through the New Lead-Free

Laws
A Guide to the Safe Water Drinking Act

A guide to better understanding how lead enters the drinking water system in the U.S. and how the
government has implemented and subsequently updated regulations to limit lead contamination to its
citizens. In addition, details of who is affected by these new regulations and how they can stay compliant.

Michelle Farrell 9/1/2014

2014 Michelle Farrell


Lead Contamination in Drinking Water
Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal which was once commonly used in paints as well as plumbing and
fixtures. Lead poisoning most commonly results from the inhalation of contaminated paint dust, the
ingestion of lead based paint chips, or through contaminated drinking water. There have been laws in place
to protect consumers from lead exposure for many years, and these laws are often changing as the
threshold for what is considered a "safe" amount of lead exposure continues to decline.

Children and babies are at highest risk of heavy metal poisoning due to lead exposure. Babies and children
have two things working against them - their size, and their likelihood to put non-food items in their
mouths. Small children are more likely to accidentally ingest lead based paint, which
has not been used in buildings since the 1970's (but may still be in some older
buildings). Children also are more susceptible to a smaller amount of lead, simply
due to their smaller size. Some adults are also at risk of lead exposure, particularly if
they work in certain industries (such as with batteries or other objects which
commonly contain lead), frequently do home renovation projects (especially in older
homes), or work in auto mechanic shops.

The effects of heavy metal poisoning due to lead exposure in children can vary. Many children will
experience one or a combination of the following symptoms and effects: developmental delays, irritability,
hearing loss, weight loss, fatigue, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Some children, however, will not
experience any noticeable symptoms until they have already built up high levels of lead in their systems.
Lead poisoning can be fatal in children.

The effects of heavy metal poisoning due to lead exposure in adults are somewhat
different from those experienced by children. Adults may have no symptoms, or may
experience one or more of the following effects: high blood pressure, joint pain,
abdominal pain, muscle pain, mental and cognitive decline, tingling in the hands and
feet, reduced sperm counts or abnormalities in the sperm, and headaches. Lead
poisoning has a potential to be fatal to adults as well.

Pregnant women are at a particularly vulnerable state when it comes to heavy metal poisoning due to lead
exposure. There are not only risks to the woman, but also to her unborn child which can continue to affect
the child long after birth. Pregnant women can potentially experience all or some of the symptoms listed
above for adults, as well as miscarriage or premature birth. Her unborn child is also at unique risk. If the
child is born prematurely due to lead exposure he or she will have to face problems associated with
premature birth such as breathing difficulties, growth and feeding difficulties, blindness, jaundice, heart
defects, and anemia as well as potential learning difficulties and slow growth due to lead exposure in utero.


So how does lead contaminate drinking water? Source water very rarely contains lead on its own. Usually
lead contamination occurs due to corrosion of the plumbing materials that the water travels through to get
to the consumer. Older brass or chrome plated brass fixtures are particularly known to leach large
amounts of lead into the water, especially when using hot water. For consumers who prefer the look of
brass, there is the newer option of installing eco-brass fixtures which meet all lead-free requirements.

Protection against lead contamination in drinking water falls under the jurisdiction of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) through the Safe Drinking Water Act. This act is designed to protect consumers
against many different kinds of contaminants in drinking water. Limitations on the amount of lead allowed
in drinking water were set through this Act in 1986. Any homes built before 1986, therefore, are still at risk
of using lead pipes and plumbing materials. The threshold for the amount of lead that plumbing and
fixtures can leach and still be considered "lead free" has been reduced over time in order to better protect
the consumer against potential lead poisoning.

Safe Drinking Water Act
The primary federal law that protects American citizens from contaminants in their drinking water is called
the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law gives the United States EPA the authority to set standards for
drinking water nationwide. These standards address both man-made contaminants as well as naturally
occurring contaminants. Such contaminants in drinking water pose a health risk to the American
population, thus the need for this law to be in place.

The Safe Drinking Water Act was passed by congress in 1974. The Act itself has been
amended twice - in 1986 and in 1996. The Act is designed to protect America's drinking
water directly as well as the sources of American drinking water such as rivers, springs,
lakes, reservoirs and ground water wells. The regulations change as new research
supports the changes, and amendments have been added to increase the protection of
the country's drinking water.

Originally, the Safe Drinking Water Act focused on treating drinking water in order to ensure safer drinking
water at the tap. This focus shifted, however, with the 1996 amendments that were signed into law by
President Clinton. The new amendments recognized source water as needing protection from
contaminants as well. With this amendment, America's drinking water was now protected from source to
tap. It also added funding for water system improvements, as well as increasing public information about
their drinking water.

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that the United States EPA set national standards for the public
drinking water, both at the source and at the tap. Those standards are then reached through cooperation
between the EPA and individual states, tribes and individual water systems (whether public or privately

owned). The EPA sets standards for the maximum levels allowed for specific contaminants as well as for
disinfecting processes. These standards cover everything from cryptosporidium to lead contamination.

The Safe Drinking Water Act also requires that the public be informed about their drinking water. The act
stresses the importance of consumer knowledge about how their drinking water is treated, where it is
sourced from, and how the individual consumer can help protect this precious resource. This is achieved
through educational materials distributed through the EPA, and encouraging public involvement through
public meetings and other means.

Operator certifications are also covered under the Safe Drinking Water Act. There are certification
standards that have been set by the US EPA for operators of community water
systems. Currently all states are using EPA-implemented certification programs for
their operators.

In order to monitor and protect source water, all states are required to perform
periodic assessments. These assessments of each state's source water help to identify potential sources of
contaminant. By identifying the possible sources of contaminants, the states are then able to determine
susceptibility of the source water to the specifically identified contaminants. This helps ensure that all
source water in the United States is protected and screened through the Safe Drinking Water Act.

All public water systems within the United States are required to follow the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Currently over 17,000 public water systems service almost every single American at some point in their
lifetime. A public water system may be publicly or privately owned, but either way they must meet all of
the standards and requirements covered under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The national drinking water standards that are set by the EPA through the Safe Drinking Water Act are
legally enforceable. Both the EPA and state agencies have the authority to take enforcement actions
against any water system which is non-compliant with the most current standards set by the EPA. The
enforcement of such standards may include fining the utilities that are non-compliant, the issuance of
administrative orders, or taking legal action. The EPA and states work together to minimize non-
compliance by continuously educating water systems on their understanding of current standards.

Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011
The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act is an amendment to the Safe Drinking
Water Act that was signed into law in 2011. This amendment allowed for a three
year time frame for manufacturers and retailers to make a transition from the
formerly acceptable pipes, flux, solder, fixtures and fittings to products which meet
the new, more stringent, guidelines set forth in the amendment.

The Safe Drinking Water Act has had rules regarding the use of lead in flux, solders and pipes that carry
potable water since an amendment was signed into law by President Reagan in 1986. The Reduction of
Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011 made the definition of "lead-free" more stringent than in the past,
established a set way to determine the amount of lead in a product, and added some exemptions that
were not already in place.

The threshold for "lead-free" has always varied based on the plumbing item being
measured. Before the enactment of the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, the
definition of "lead-free" in solders and flux meant a lead content of not more than 0.2%;
with regard to pipes and pipe fittings, the definition of "lead-free" meant a lead content of
not more than 8.0%; and with regard to plumbing fittings and fixtures they had to simply
be in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act section 1417(e).

With the enactment of the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, the thresholds for the definition of
"lead-free" have been reduced. Once the act became effective the new definition for "lead-free" with
regards to solders and flux meant a lead content of not more than 0.2% and with regard to pipes, pipe
fittings, plumbing fitting and plumbing fixtures the definition for "lead-free" has been lowered to a weighted
average of not more than 0.25% on the wetted surface of said items.

The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act was signed into law on January 4, 2011 by President Obama.
Due to the three- year allowance period for manufacturers and retail establishments to adjust their
products to meet new, more stringent definitions of "lead-free", the Act was not put into effect until
January 4, 2014. Under this new amendment, after the deadline date of January 4th, 2014 there is a
prohibition against retail establishments selling products that qualify under the new law that do not meet
the new definition of "lead-free", even if they are small business owners.

Builders, however, who have not yet finished their project by January 4, 2014 but have already installed
fixtures and pipes that were compliant by the old standards before the January 4 deadline do not have to
replace fixtures and pipes already installed. They may not continue to use the newly non-compliant pipes
and fixtures as of January 4, 2014 and must choose new items from that point forward that are compliant
with the new standards.
Pipes, fittings or fixtures that are used or installed as replacement
parts must meet the new requirements for the definition of "lead-
free" according to The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of
2011. There are exceptions such as when the part is a replacement
part for a whole device (like a water heater for example) and the
device itself meets the requirements of the "lead-free" definition

even after the single part is replaced, then the replacement component does not have to meet the new
definitions on its own.

Exemptions Created by the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act
The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011 established some new exemptions for certain types of
pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings and fixtures. If they are used in a system that only has non-potable
water going through it then the pipes, fittings, and plumbing fittings and fixtures will be
exempt from meeting the lead-free requirement. Some examples of non-potable uses
would be systems that are used only for irrigation, in manufacturing or industrial
processing, or any other use that is not expected to be used for consumption by
humans. There are also exemptions for components of toilets, urinals, bidets, shower
valves, tub fillers, service saddles, flushometer valves, fire hydrants and water
distribution main gate valves two inches or more in diameter.

Certain home appliances are also considered exempt from the lead-free
requirements. If the appliance is a part of the plumbing system and is used only for
non-potable purposes, such as a washing machine, it will be exempt from the lead
free requirements. However if the appliance is used for both potable and non-
potable water, such as a water heater, it is required to follow the lead-free
guidelines. If the appliance is used for only potable water uses, it will also have to
follow the lead-free guidelines. The US EPA defines potable water as water that
may be used for human consumption. This includes water that may be used for food preparation, tooth
brushing, dishwashing, and drinking.

Water Meters
Water meters that are attached to potable water systems installed after the January
4th, 2014 deadline are required to follow the new lead-free definitions. This can be
confusing to some homeowners as older water meters may say "lead-free" or "no
lead" on them and they still may not meet the new law's requirements. It is
important to know by which definition the water meters are considered "lead-free"
to make sure that they are compliant with the new definitions set forth in the
newest law.

If your water meter is not in fact compliant with the new law and it needs to be replaced, it will be
important to choose a new water meter and valves that are compliant in order to protect your family from
lead exposure. There are many good water meters on the market today which meet the present day
definition of "lead-free" according to the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011.


A Note about State and Local Laws
It is important to note that some state and/or local laws may be more stringent on their definition of "lead-
free" than the guidelines that are set by the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011. Always
check with your local and state laws to ensure that the products you are using or purchasing are compliant
with all applicable laws in your area.

Lead is a naturally occurring metal which has been used in a variety of ways by humans including in
plumbing and in paints. It is now known that lead is harmful, and sometimes even fatal, to humans, and
laws have been put in place to protect humans from lead exposure as a result.

The laws which protect the American population from lead exposure are frequently revisited and often
amended. The Safe Drinking Water Act was written to help protect the American population from many
contaminants that can occur in drinking water, including but not limited to lead. The Reduction of Lead in
Drinking Water Act of 2011 was an amendment to the existing law which used a more stringent definition
of "lead-free" when discussing most plumbing and pipes for potable water. This amendment went into
effect on January 4th, 2014.
Resources
NSF Certificate
WM-PC Series Economy Plastic Water Meter
This excellent residential water meter uses the multi-jet principle measures US gallons. The plastic body
and coupling are made with low-lead brass alloy C87850 and meets potable water standards and AWWA
C708.

WM-NLC Series Lead Free Brass Water Meter
Ideal product for residential water sub metering, residential and municipal garden hose metering (with
optional garden hose adapters) and even industrial water metering

WM-H Series Residential Hot Water Meter
Multijet (inferential) impeller meters for hot water. The measuring chamber is located in a strainer
basket, allowing for high amounts of impurities to be passed through the meter without affecting
operation.

Digital Flow Monitor
Stop wasting money on water filter, ice filter and water cooler filter replacements. The DigiFlow meter
indicates when filters need to be changed, eliminated guess work and preserving filters to extend to their
full usable life.