While plumbing my copper manifold today, I ran across another Certified Lead Free tag proudly affixed to a major brand of 1 1/4-inch ball valve. The tag says my lead free ball valve is NSF/ANSI 61-G compliant. Before I began to get too excited about this product label, I went ahead and looked up the NSF/ANSI 61-G Standard for drinking water on the NSF's website only to read and conclude that we (the general public) are being duped yet again.
Bottom Line:
The NSF/ANSI 61-G standard for drinking water contact plumbing components still allows for a brass or bronze plumbing component to contain up to .25% lead in the metal.. (Effective January 4, 2014).
LINK:
http://www.nsf.org/newsroom_pdf/nsf61-372_lead_insert_LWD-1350-0513.pdfSo when you are out and about shopping plumbing parts, mentally acknowledge that:
1. "Lead Free" isn't lead free at all
2. Your lead free plumbing parts are more expensive than their lead-containing companions simply due to the fact that a higher percentage of copper and tin than they are in the "lead free" plumbing products. This is the primary reason "lead free" costs so much more.
Now go hoard all of your lead fishing tackle sinkers before you cannot purchase those anymore.
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Topic: The Chemistry Coffee Table: Lead Free Plumbing Components (Read 1442 times)