Zurn Industries celebrates World Plumbing Day and its own commitment to lead-free solutions

March 6, 2013
ERIE, PA. – Zurn Industries LLC joins plumbing organizations and their members in recognizing World Plumbing Day, March 11, 2013, as it also announces the company’s aggressive initiative to convert to 100% lead-free products for potable applications in advance of the national deadline is on target.

ERIE, PA. – Zurn Industries LLC joins plumbing organizations and their members in recognizing World Plumbing Day, March 11, 2013, as it also announces the company’s aggressive initiative to convert to 100% lead-free products for potable applications in advance of the national deadline is on target.

The federal “Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act” (42 USC 300G) mandates that any valve, fitting or fixture coming in contact with potable water (water used for drinking or cooking) must meet NSF/ANSI Standard 61-G requirements: having weighted average of less than 0.25 percent lead content. The deadline is January 4, 2014. 

 “Zurn decided long ago to achieve early compliance with this new standard,” said Scott McDowell, VP of Zurn Marketing. “This meant that our entire company has been dedicated to educating and communicating with everyone along the inventory pipeline–raw material suppliers, distributors, contractors and customers–to assist in the conversion to lead-free.”

Zurn has been working on behind-the-scenes details to make the transition as easy as possible for everyone involved. All order processing is either converted or being converted to lead-free part numbers for ease of doing business. A special program was developed for stocking distributors that provides a window of opportunity to exchange qualifying products for lead-free when they commit to the program. Beginning Jan. 4, 2014, only Zurn products defined as lead-free for potable applications in the United States can be sold. Any product still in inventory will become obsolete and ineligible to sell.

“Zurn has had a dedicated team of experts to guide every aspect of our lead-free initiative,” said Rick Fields, Director of Product Marketing for Zurn Wilkins. “When Zurn talks about providing total building solutions for building owners, designers and contractors, the time has arrived when the definition of ‘total building solutions’ includes only lead-free products.”

Zurn Industries has a long history of producing products that are in full compliance with Federal and State low-lead standards. In September 2009, Zurn became the first manufacturer in the industry to provide lead-free, fully-approved backflow prevention assemblies and parts to the market.

 Lead contamination can lead to a variety of serious health problems, especially for children and senior citizens. Through studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the PEW Center on the States, Congress discovered that by reducing lead in the nation’s drinking water systems the U.S. could save an estimated $10.8-$53.1 million a year in health care costs.

For detailed information about Zurn lead-free products and lead-free conversion, visit www.zurn.com/LeadFree.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Contractor, create an account today!