California Lead Regulation Deadline Closing In

Ever since governments have existed, there has been regulation. From seat belts to the “V” chip, the good and the bad initiatives have usually been met with a fight.

No matter what the size of your decorative plumbing and hardware business, change is a frightening thing, especially when it is thrust upon us with a non-negotiable time line. In view of the new lead regulation from California AB 1953, the initial reaction from the manufacturing side was that the requirement was not feasible given that the known materials necessary for compliance were not produced in quantities sufficient to meet demand. Then it all just appeared to go silent. There was an occasional article reiterating the same story of supply and demand, but no real solutions were being trumpeted.

Now, with less than a year until the law takes effect, we are still facing a frightening change, yet no one seems to know what to do next.

Mandated Changes

Let’s first look at the change. California AB 1953 mandates that the lead in the material that delivers consumable water from a fixture cannot exceed 0.25%. The law only affects water delivery devices that are intended to provide water for cooking or drinking. It does not apply to showers, tubs and the like. This law goes into effect on January 1, 2010 in the states of California and Vermont (recently passed S152).

California has not yet approved a methodology for approving acceptable water delivery devices that comply with the legislative mandate. Plumbing fixtures are presently required to meet maximum lead content requirements via leachate testing. This test protocol, conducted through certified, independent laboratories, measures the level of lead in a water sample that has been held in contact with the subject fitting to ensure maximum levels are not exceeded.

For the new requirement, two options are being considered. One proposal, a bill being introduced to the state legislature, would empower the California Department of Toxic Substance Control to randomly purchase 75 drinking water plumbing fittings and fixtures each year for testing and evaluation. Another alternative empowers independent labs to continue to test each affected fixture and certify its compliance with the 0.25% maximum lead content material requirement in addition to maximum leachate levels.

As the date of implementation approaches, manufacturers will likely continue to use independent labs to test their products, ensuring that their fixtures comply with the lead content mandate. Once products have been certified, manufacturers will be informing the general market that their products comply.

Potential Impact

So, how will this impact your business? Regardless of where your showroom or manufacturing facility is located, if your business supplies plumbing fixtures to customers living in California or Vermont, those products must comply with this standard. If a non-complying product is installed on a job in California or Vermont, an inspector can tag it for removal – period. That is the major short-term effect on distributors, dealers or installers.

The more global impact of this legislation is two-fold. First, there are jobs that can easily take more than a year from first consultation to final installation. If you’re working on a job such as this in California or Vermont, please check with the specified manufacturers to make sure the subject products will be compliant and ready to ship when the job needs them, while keeping in mind time lines related to the overall project. For example, a wall-mounted lavatory faucet uses a rough valve that will likely be installed long before the spout and handles. Both the rough valve and the spout, however, must meet the 0.25% requirement.