2022 NCC Seminars: Volume Three - Lead in plumbing products

0:00

[Music]

0:00

Hello, and welcome to the Australian  

0:10

Building Codes Board 2022  seminar for NCC Volume Three.  

0:15

My name is Tom Roberts and I'm the director of  Plumbing at the Australian Building Codes Board.  

0:20

Today I will present on the changes to the  allowable lead levels in plumbing products.

0:27

The ABCB will be reducing the allowable  led content in plumbing products.  

0:31

Products which contain copper alloys and are  intended for use in contact with drinking water  

0:35

will be required to have a weighted average  of lead content of not more than 0.25 percent.

0:42

NCC 2022 will specify the new requirements and  will outline the transition period for this  

0:48

change. There are a few reasons for this change.  One consideration was for international practices.  

0:55

Australia is a small market on the global scale  and consideration was given to what is happening  

1:00

internationally to ensure that Australia does  not create more stringent requirements than other  

1:04

countries. If this happened, this requirement will  become a barrier to trade in the importation of  

1:10

plumbing products. As such, this change will align  with the level set by other countries such as the  

1:16

US and Canada, and consistency also ensures that  there is suitable technology available to continue  

1:23

to manufacture copper alloy products compliant  with this requirement. The second and major  

1:29

consideration was for the health benefits  that can be achieved through this change.  

1:33

Is important to remember that existing plumbing  products uh must meet stringent manufacturing and  

1:40

testing requirements to demonstrate compliance  to the Australian drinking water guidelines.  

1:46

That said, there are health benefits  that can be derived from the use of  

1:49

lead-free plumbing products through further  reducing the potential exposure to lead.  

1:54

Most people know that lead isn't great  for you. Lead has long been recognized as  

1:58

a cumulative toxin and once it enters the body  there's no lead level that is considered safe.  

2:06

The negative health impacts of lead are most  profound in children under 4 years of age and  

2:11

pregnant women. The advice from various  health agencies encourage governments to  

2:15

eliminate non-essential uses of lead where  possible so that is what we've been doing.  

2:23

The ABCB undertook a large amount of research and  analysis looking into lead in plumbing products.  

2:28

The Maquarie University was engaged to undertake  a literature review to determine the extent that  

2:34

plumbing products and materials may contribute  to lead levels in drinking water in excess of  

2:38

those permitted by the Australian drinking water  guidelines. The project looked into historical and  

2:44

modern research and the review of international  and national literature. Analysis also played a  

2:50

key part in defining the appropriate application  of the lead-free requirements of the NCC.  

2:55

A regulatory a regulation impact statement  was developed to consider whether reducing  

3:00

lead content in plumbing products in contact  with drinking water can have a measurable  

3:05

impact on reducing lead content in drinking  water and the blood levels, particularly in  

3:11

the vulnerable populations. Both of these  documents are available on the ABCB website.  

3:18

There will be a 3 year transition period to allow  manufacturers and suppliers time to ensure that  

3:23

there is sufficient lead-free plumbing products  in the market before the 1st of September 2025.  

3:29

For now, there's nothing that  plumbers need to do but beyond  

3:32

the first of September in 2025 only  lead-free plumbing products will be  

3:36

authorized for installation and existing  products will no longer be able to be used.

3:42

Lead free is defined in NCC 2022 and  outlines that products which are deemed  

3:48

compliant to the lead requirements  of the NCC are considered lead-free.  

3:53

This definition ensures consistency in  the terminology used within industry.

3:59

The WaterMark schedule of products  can be found on the ABCB website.  

4:03

This schedule indicates exactly which products  need to be meet the lead-free requirements.  

4:09

Some examples of products are included  copper alloy fittings, valves, taps,  

4:16

mixers, water dispensers, such  as boiling and cooling units,  

4:19

and water meters, where these products are  installed in contact with drinking water.

4:26

From the 1st of September 2025  products which are required to  

4:30

be lead-free must be certified as  lead-free through the watermark  

4:33

certification scheme to be authorized  for installation in a plumbing system.  

4:38

Plumbing products that do not conform to the  lead-free requirements will no longer have  

4:42

a valid WaterMark certification and will not be  authorized for installation in a plumbing system.

4:50

Now that we have covered why we are moving to  lead free, let's talk about how we are moving  

4:54

to lead-free. The transition to lead-free  plumbing products has already commenced.  

5:00

It is important to note that lead-free  requirements for products that are are  

5:04

not retrospective. That is, they only apply  to products installed in new plumbing work.  

5:10

The lead and plumbing products  implementation plan is on the ABCB website.  

5:16

This is a roadmap for the transition process and  provides information about the transition process  

5:21

and sets out key milestones and review  points for installation and enforcement.

5:26

To enable industry to commence the manufacturing  and testing and certification of plumbing products  

5:31

conforming to the lead-free requirements, the  ABCB has published WaterMark Notices of Direction.  

5:38

The first notice provides direction on the  certification transition arrangements for  

5:43

lead-free requirements for plumbing products as  outlined in NCC 2022. The second notice provides  

5:49

direction on the materials to be used in the  manufacture of lead-free plumbing products.  

5:54

This notice outlines the process to  achieve compliance with the lead-free  

5:58

requirements of NCC 2022. It outlines the  certification transition arrangements for  

6:03

WaterMark conformity assessment bodies and  license holders that they must comply with,  

6:09

and the materials to be used in the  manufacture of lead-free plumbing products.

6:14

Specific certification procedures are being  developed to ensure consistent harmonised  

6:19

certification activity. Registration of a  mandatory certification trademark is being  

6:25

pursued with IP Australia. The images you can  give you an indication of what it might look like.  

6:31

Products certified to lead-free requirements  must be marked with the lead-free WaterMark  

6:35

and not the WaterMark. Lead-free  marking requirements will indicate  

6:40

compliance with lead-free requirements, easily  differentiate existing certified products,  

6:45

and lead-free certified products, and assist  regulation at the point of installation.

6:52

Packaging, marketing or promotional  material for products certified to  

6:56

the lead-free requirements may also  choose to use the lead-free WaterMark.  

7:01

Lead-free compliance must be indicated on the  Watermark Certificate of Conformity, the product  

7:06

listing on the WaterMark database, and the scope  of view statement provided with the product.

7:13

Products marked with the lead-free WaterMark  may retain in anyinternational lead-free product  

7:18

marking that is already on the product. As we  move closer to the 1st of September 2025 and  

7:26

the conclusion of the transition period, the ABCB  released additional education and awareness and  

7:31

resources to help support industry in the change  to lead-free plumbing products. The ABCB has some  

7:38

frequently asked questions and the implementation  plan which will continue to be updated as the  

7:43

go-to guide. Other awareness initiatives will  be released throughout the transition period.

7:50

To summarise some of the key points about the  move to lead-free, existing certified products  

7:56

that are not re-certified as lead-free are safe  to use and will remain authorised for installation  

8:01

until the 31st of August 2025. The transition  period concludes on the 1st of September 2025.  

8:08

After this date lead-free products will be or  and will only be authorised for installation.  

8:15

Inherently, lead-free products such as those  made of stainless steel that are not required  

8:21

to be certified to lead-free may voluntarily  be certified or re-certified as lead-free.

8:27

If you have any questions please review  the ABCB resources available on the ABCB  

8:32

website or get in touch with us through our  contact us page. Thank you for watching.