The American National Standards for health effects of drinking water treatment chemicals (NSF/ANSI 60) and plumbing system components (NSF/ANSI 61) has been updated with Canadian regulatory requirements and published as National Standards of Canada.
Initially published in 1988, they have been renamed NSF/ANSI/CAN 60: 2018 Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals – Health Effects and NSF/ANSI/CAN 61: 2018 Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects.
The previously published versions of the standards have been widely recognized in Canada for years. It is only now that they are designated as National Standards of Canada. Nine of the 13 provinces/territories currently require drinking water treatment chemicals to comply with the requires of NSF/ANSI 60; while 11 of the 13 provinces/territories require drinking water system components to comply with eh requirements of NSF/ANSI 61.
“These standards have been in use in the United States and parts of Canada as NSF/ANSI standards since 1988, and they have been instrumental in helping to reduce drinking water contaminants at the consumer’s tap,” said Jessica Evans, director of standards at NSF International.
In addition to the renaming of the standards, NSF International published a companion standard, NSF/ANSI/CAN 600: 2018 Health Effects Evaluation and Criteria for Chemicals in Drinking Water. This will define the toxicology review procedures for evaluating specific chemicals or contaminants in drinking water as a result from the use of treatment chemicals and water distribution system components.
The health risk assessment information from the companion standard was previously available as Annex A of standards 60 and 61. “By publishing it as a companion standard, we expect there will be an increase in the availability of toxicology data.” Anyone obtaining a copy of NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 or NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 will also receive a complimentary copy of NSF/ANSI/CAN 600.
These drinking water product standards were originally developed at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1985 and first published in 1988.