Final Lead Free Rule

(a) no person may place on the market pipes, pipes or pipes or fittings which are not lead-free, with the exception of pipes used in the manufacture or industrial processing; The last rule does not require that the labelling of products or the labelling of the packaging of drinking water products indicate lead-free status; Therefore, there is no fee for marking or labeling. The EPA considered other options that would have required product labeling or packaging labeling, or both. Table V.4 summarizes the costs of labelling products for this final rule with the other alternatives considered for comparison purposes for the various regulatory options considered by the EPA. Since the final rule does not include labelling costs, the methodology for estimating these costs for various alternatives is not provided in this document. However, it is included in the technical assistance document for the proposed rule (USEPA, 2016), which is available in the list of this rule. In addition, EPA received data from various independent and geographically diverse tool and dye manufacturers on the cost of mold modifications. EPA also reached out to suppliers for capital equipment and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs so the agency could assess the economic impact of potential new labeling requirements under the rule. EPA also contacted the eight companies currently accredited for certification of sanitary components for NSF/ANSI 372 compliance for information on the cost of certification and the technical process for testing and certifying products that comply with the standard. These calls with PMI and AFS and other data sources are referenced in the final rule support document and other supporting documents listed under the case identification number.

EPA-HQ-OW-2015-0680 www.regulations.gov. Therefore, the latter rule offers companies with fewer than 10 employees the opportunity to self-certify their products. Eligible manufacturers who opt for self-certification must develop a „Certificate of Conformity“ to certify that products meet lead-free requirements. A similar concept is currently used for some products regulated by the Federal Communications Commission and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. In 1986, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act and prohibited the use of pipes, solders, or streams that were not „lead-free“ in public water systems or pipelines in facilities that provide water for human consumption. At the time, the term „lead-free“ was defined as solder and flux with no more than 0.2% lead and pipes with no more than 8%. On January 17, 2017, the EPA published in the Federal Register a proposed regulation – „Use of lead-free pipes, fittings, devices, solders and fluxes for drinking water“ (USEPA, 2017, 82 FR 4805). The proposed regime contained several important provisions. The EPA has proposed codifying various legal provisions, including the definition of lead-free; the prohibition on placing on the market pipes, fittings or devices which are not free of lead; and the prohibition of the use of such products in the installation or repair of a public water system or pipes in residential or non-residential facilities that provide water for human consumption. The EPA has also proposed labeling requirements to distinguish sanitary materials that must meet the lead-free requirements from those that are exempt from the requirements. In addition, the EPA has proposed requirements that lead-free products must be certified by a certification body accredited by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI), unless they are manufactured by manufacturers with fewer than 100 employees. Other provisions have been included in the proposal to facilitate implementation, such as the definition of certain terms used in the articles of association or in the proposed regulation and provisions to ensure compliance.

Lead can be introduced into drinking water by corrosion of sanitary products and components of public water systems (pipes, pipes and sanitary fittings as well as fittings, solders and flows). The greatest risk associated with lead exposure is in infants, young children and pregnant women. Scientists have linked lead exposure to lower IQ in children, compared to children exposed to lower levels of lead. Those with questions about the new rule can contact the author of this release, Jim Kendzel, ASA`s Director of Codes and Standards, at jkendzel@asa.net. The certification requirement will help ensure that only lead-free sanitary materials are placed on the market or used in new installations or repairs to a public water system or sanitary facilities in a facility that provides water for human consumption. The third-party certification requirement uses the resources of external certification bodies as well as manufacturers to help supply chain parties ensure that they do not violate RLDWA requirements when placing the product on the market or using it in new facilities or repairs. The increase in the number of third-party certified products provides small businesses such as plumbers and builders with greater assurance that they meet federal requirements for the use of lead-free plumbing products. The self-certification requirement, which applies to manufacturers with fewer than 10 employees or customized products, also ensures that products sold by these small manufacturers or custom-made products are lead-free without imposing a significant burden on smaller manufacturers. The 1996 amendments also made it illegal for anyone to place on the market pipes, pipes or sanitary fittings or devices that are not free of lead, with the exception of pipes used in manufacturing or industrial processing. As amended in 1996, section 1417(a)(3)(B) of the SDWA prohibits „any person who sells sanitary supplies, except manufacturers, solders or streams that are not free of lead“, and section 1417(a)(3)(C) of the SDWA prohibits „any person from placing on the market a solder or flux that is not lead-free unless the solder or flow is solder or flux a prominent label, this means that the use is illegal. (c) No person shall place on the market a solder or flux that is not free of lead unless the solder or flux bears a clearly visible label indicating that it is unlawful to use the solder or flux in the installation or repair of pipelines; that provide water for human consumption. The latter rule contains language in 40 CFR 143.14 to clarify that the SDWA Section 1417(b) direction to enforce the prohibition on the use of pipes, pipe fittings or accessories, soldering or streams that are not lead-free is a condition for obtaining a full allocation of public subsidies for the water system (PWSS).

Under Section 1417(b)(1) of the SDWA, the state law enforcement provision applies only to the prohibition on use set out in Section 1417(a)(1); it does not apply to the introduction of the trade ban in Section 1417(a)(3) of the SDWA or to the requirements of the final product certification rule. In addition to codifying revised requirements under the RLDWA and CFSA, the EPA establishes product certification and information collection requirements to ensure consistent implementation and enforcement of SDWA prohibitions. The final rule does not require the marking and marking of lead-free pipes, fittings, or devices, as originally proposed by the EPA. After reviewing public comments on the issue, the EPA has re-examined the issue, and the EPA anticipates that the certification provisions of the final rule, combined with the widespread practice of voluntary labeling by companies that receive third-party certification, are likely to result in the marketing of many drinking water products in a manner that: which informs the buyer of the lead-free status of the products without this being required by regulatory requirements.