Is my faucet lead free? Understanding new “lead-free” requirements for faucets and household plumbing
This blog post summarizes new requirements for low lead “lead-free” plumbing devices, outlines what to look for when shopping for new plumbing materials, and identifies older materials that might put you at increased risk of lead exposure.
What you need to know:
Most of our existing drinking water plumbing materials — faucets, valves, meters, and solder— contain lead, even when marked “lead free.”
As of January 1, 2024, new requirements for “lead free” faucets and plumbing components are in full effect, providing safer materials and new markings to identify low-lead leaching plumbing materials for use in homes, schools, childcares, and office buildings where we drink water every day.
When buying new faucets or endpoint devices, look for products marked with NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q ≤ 1 to identify materials that meet the new requirements and reduce the amount of lead in your drinking water. Connector hoses, shut-off valves, and miscellaneous components present in the last liter of the plumbing system will be marked with NSF/ANSI/CAN Q ≤0.5.
If your existing plumbing was installed before January 1, 2014, and it does not have NSF 61-G or NSF 372 certification, 8% or more of its weight may come from lead.
The most reliable way to prevent exposure to lead in water, especially in places with older plumbing, is to use a filter that is certified to reduce lead in drinking water for all drinking and cooking water.
It will take a long time to replace older plumbing. Until leaded plumbing materials are gone from all our buildings, it is essential for water systems to use corrosion control treatment to minimize lead in drinking water.
Wait, there’s LEAD in household plumbing?
It may be surprising to learn that a lot of the plumbing materials that deliver drinking water within our homes, including our faucets, contain lead. Lead is a potent neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure. Safe drinking water is critical for healthy childhood development and lifelong health, so it’s important to know if our plumbing materials present a risk of lead exposure. Any time lead is contact with water, some of that lead can leach into the water. The less lead in the plumbing, the less lead can get in the water.
Prior to 1986, plumbing materials could be made entirely of lead, but the lead content of plumbing has gradually been reduced over time, with some exceptions. The first time “lead-free” plumbing was defined, it could contain up to 8% lead by weight. Since 2014 the definition of “lead free” plumbing means that the device contains up to 0.25% lead by weight. Some studies[i] have found that faucets that meet the 0.25% “lead free” definition can still release lead at over 1 parts per billion (ppb), the lead in water action level recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.[ii]
In 2020, the committee that governs plumbing safety standards in the United States and Canada revised the NSF 61 certification test to allow 5 times less lead to leach into water from faucets certified under this test. This new requirement came into full effect on January 1, 2024[iii] and it is mandatory for all faucets and endpoint devices. These certified devices are identified with the following marking: NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q ≤ 1. Other plumbing components including connector hoses, shut-off valves, and other components present in the last liter of the plumbing system must meet an even more stringent lead leaching requirement of Q ≤0.5.
In a companion move, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) codified the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act in 2020, and it requires all plumbing materials that meet the definition of “lead-free” to be certified by a third party.[iv] This will help ensure that “lead free” plumbing materials are easier to identify, and only “lead free” pipes, fittings, and fixtures are used in repairs and new installations of drinking water plumbing. These requirements came into effect on September 1, 2023. For certain endpoint devices, the mandatory third-party certification to the new NSF standards demonstrates these devices comply with the new, more stringent lead leaching requirements. Figure 1 shows a diagram of all categories of plumbing materials and the “lead free” certification requirements they must meet.
Figure 1: Diagram of Third-Party Certification Requirements for Lead Free Plumbing
As long as lead continues to exist in household plumbing, especially in older materials that are not being replaced, it is important for water systems to use corrosion control treatment to minimize lead in drinking water.
What should I look for when I’m buying a new faucet or plumbing device?
You can identify faucets and endpoint devices that meet the new standard by looking for the NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q≤1 or Q≤0.5 markings on product packaging.
Look for the NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q≤1 or Q≤0.5 markings on product packaging.
The EPA rule does not require any markings or labels on the “lead free” materials themselves, but the requirement for third party certification means there will be markings on the packaging for certified materials now that the EPA rule is effective. Look for the new NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q≤1 marking any time you are buying drinking water faucets or endpoint devices, and the NSF/ANSI/CAN Q ≤0.5 marking when buying connector hoses and shut-off valves for your home.
As of January 1, 2024, exactly 10 years after the “lead free” definition reduced the allowable lead content of pipes, fittings, and fixtures from 8% to 0.25%, consumers can finally rely upon certification markings on packages to reliably identify low-lead leaching plumbing materials for use in homes, schools, childcares, and office buildings where we drink water every day.
It is important to note that only materials intended for drinking water use are required to be certified “lead free.”
Shown: A pre-2014 faucet.
What existing plumbing materials in my home or school might contain lead?
First off, it is important to note that only materials intended for drinking water use are required to be certified “lead free.” This means that materials for wastewater, manufacturing, irrigation, outdoor watering, and certain valves, just to name a few, have no limits on the plumbing lead content. Some of these materials are compatible with drinking water plumbing, so there can be a risk of accidentally installing leaded materials in a drinking water plumbing system. This means it’s very important to read the labels on all plumbing materials before purchasing and installing; a lower cost device may be an unsafe device. For this reason, it is safest to only drink or cook with water that comes from a tap intended for drinking water use. Do not drink water from a garden hose, the hose bib itself, the laundry sink, or any hands-free handwashing faucet.
What are all the potential sources of lead in household plumbing?
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to identify the lead content of older materials already installed because there are no requirements for product markings that identify to which standard materials are certified. This means we typically have to rely on types of plumbing and year of installation to estimate the lead risk from household plumbing. Where present, lead service lines present the greatest risk of lead exposure. Filters certified to meet the ANSI/NSF 53 standard for lead reduction should be used for all drinking and cooking water in homes with lead service lines. Common sources of lead in household plumbing are listed below in order of decreasing risk.
Lead solder
Lead solder was banned in 1986, but the ban came into effect in different years in different states.
Lead solder is still available for purchase, but it is illegal to use it in drinking water applications. It is still important to ensure plumbers are working with “lead-free” solder.
Leaded and “lead-free” solder can be for sale on the same shelf. Look carefully to buy the right product.
Plumbing materials not intended for drinking water use. If materials are not intended for drinking water use and/or do not include a certification of NSF 61, there is no limit to the lead content of the plumbing.
“Lead free” plumbing materials containing a weighted average of up to 8% lead in products sold through January 2014.
“Lead free” plumbing materials containing up to 0.25% lead, that were sold starting in January 2014. Use this resource to review certification marks on product packaging.
“Lead free” plumbing materials containing up to 0.25% lead, that meet the 2020 NSF 61 standard marked with “NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q ≤ 1” or “NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: Q ≤ 0.5”
Removing lead from plumbing systems is the most effective way to prevent exposure to lead in drinking water, but even now when we install brand new “lead free” plumbing materials we are still adding new lead to our drinking water systems, even though that amount is much smaller than it was in the past. While the new NSF standard and the new EPA regulation are great steps in the right direction, we can still work toward a future where there is no lead in any of our plumbing materials. In the meantime, we need to remove lead service lines and continue water flushing and filtration at home to reduce ongoing risk of exposure to lead in drinking water.
[i] Parks, Jeffrey, Kelsey J. Pieper, Adrienne Katner, Min Tang, and Marc Edwards. 2018. “Potential Challenges Meeting the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Lead in School Drinking Water Goal of 1 Μg/L.” Corrosion 74 (8). https://doi.org/10.5006/2770.
[ii] Prevention of Childhood Lead Toxicity. American Academy of Pediatrics. July 2016. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/1/e20161493%20
