Third party product certification for drinking water health effects

Abstract

Third-party certification to drinking water product consensus standards is how products for potable water systems are deemed suitable for public health and safety in North America. Drinking water product consensus standards are a type of standard developed through a process that includes participation from expert volunteers and requires general agreement from all stakeholders. Certification to drinking water product consensus standards is required via plumbing codes and state or local regulations in most of the United States and Canada, making third-party certification essential for products intended for sale and installation in North America. Third-party certification bodies (CBs) test and certify products to these drinking water product consensus standards through an evaluation process that includes a thorough review of each product’s composition, laboratory testing, and inspection of each facility where the product is manufactured. Products that comply with the consensus standard requirements are entitled to bear a certification mark that demonstrates their suitability for use in potable water systems. Drinking water product standards developed by NSF reference NSF/ANSI/CAN 600: Health Effects Evaluation and Criteria for Chemicals in Drinking Water for the toxicological criteria to evaluate chemical leachates derived from material extraction testing. Here, we review the third-party product certification process for evaluating products used in potable water systems and describe how the certification process relies on the health effects criteria and toxicological evaluation procedures described in NSF/ANSI/CAN 600.