| Question: 13-21 | Code Section: 7 | Date: 3 October 2013 | OBC 2006 Reference: |
Code Section: Part 7 OBC 2006 Reference:
Date: October 3, 2013
Question Submitted: I have recently come across this device on a job site. It’s a 3″ RP made by Watts. The device is coated in a blue epoxy coating. If you read the label it states that “contains more than 0.25% Lead, and will be illegal in the United States after 2013. Is this device legal in Canada?
Interpretation: This device is indeed still legal to be installed in Canada come January 1, 2014.
On August 27, 2013 an amendment to the 2012 edition of the OBC recognizing the CAN/CSA B125.1-12 standard through the Ministers Ruling (No. MR-13-S-24) came into effect. This new CSA standard states that, fittings intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption through drinking or cooking should not contain a weighted average lead content in excess of 0.25% when evaluated in accordance with the test method in NSF/ANSI 372. However this standard only goes up to 1 inch, so anything larger is beyond the scope of the standard. According to the OBC the RP is governed under CAN/CSA B64.1 which has not been updated to regulate a low lead requirement, so the device is compliant with the currently referenced version of B64 in the Code. This includes the latest materials standards minus the low lead aspects found in NSF 372 as referenced in B125.