NSF has become the primary authority for development of public health standards and certifications that serve to protect consumer products and environment.
NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 61 with the NSF 600 reference standard took effect on January 1, 2023. So let's revisit why this standard was implemented. What changed? How have we managed the change? What does the future bring, be sure to read to the end. See below for a synopsis of the changes and updates to this article (in bold).
First thing first, what is NSF? The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is an organization founded in 1944 by the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The stated purpose of NSF at its inception was to standardize sanitation and food safety requirements. Over the intervening decades, NSF has become the primary authority for development of public health standards and certifications that serve to protect our food, water, consumer products and environment. NSF standards have been adopted by many regulatory agencies across a range of public health interest sectors, and most notably in reference to the topic at hand, they form the core of the drinking water health effects regulations in the United States. While the health effects of drinking water systems components and treatment additives are not federally regulated, individual State Primacy Agencies universally require compliance with NSF standards for these types of applications.
For decades, NSF Standard 61 “Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects” has been the primary reference source for certification of products which come into contact with public drinking water. One of the key metrics for certification to Standard 61 is the allowable extractable levels of VOC’s for tested coating and lining systems. The extractable limits have historically been outlined in Annexes A & D of Standard 61. Similarly, Standard 60 “Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals – Health Effects” has been the governing document for potable water treatment additives and includes its own annexes A & C which outline allowable extractable limits for those products.
NSF/ANSI/CAN 600 “Health Effects Evaluation and Criteria for Chemicals in Drinking Water” is a new reference standard adopted by NSF International in October 2018, with an implementation date set for January 01, 2023. The stated purpose of the new reference standard is to create “a single reference source for the toxicological review and evaluation procedures of treatment chemicals added to drinking water and those substances imparted to drinking water through contact with drinking water systems components.”1 This new reference standard effectively standardizes extractables limits for coating systems and drinking water additives, but also significantly reduces the allowable extractable levels of certain chemical groups, including xylenes, ethylbenzene, and toluene.
Now that we have established what NSF/ANSI/CAN 600 is, we should delve into the effect these changes will have on the coating and lining manufacturing industry. Xylenes, ethylbenzene, and toluene are commonly used solvents in the formulation of coatings and linings, and most industry standard drinking water immersion lining products currently certified to NSF Standard 61 utilize these solvents at levels which exceed the new limits. The net effect of this change will be a sea change with regard to potable water contact coating and lining products that will be approved for use after the implementation date. While there are many existing coating technologies which are already in compliance, the drinking water coating and lining manufacturing industry will be required to accelerate development of new product formulations which comply with the reduced limits to continue supplying products for potable water contact.
Tnemec never missed a beat during the transition to the new standard. Many of the high performance coatings offered by Tnemec already met the standard implemented in January, and a new star was born. Tnemec Series 21 Epoxoline was introduced in 2022 to address the need for a coating with less than 100% solids. Series 21 replaced GENERATIONS of coatings developed for contact with potable water whose use dated back to the 1960s. Not only is Series 21 NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 & 600 certified, it's application properties allowed contractors to make the transition without expensive equipment upgrades or changes to their painting practices. The transition to the new standard has led to many questions and concerns throughout 2023, such as "do the zinc rich primers meet the new standard?" Along with the list of well-traveled products below, we are happy to answer that our zinc rich primers also meet the standard. Series 91 H2O and 94 H2O Hydro-Zinc are certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61.
The manufacturing industry has already begun to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the new standards. Tnemec Company, a well-known provider of NSF certified coating and lining materials, currently manufactures many products which have decades-long, proven track records in the industry and which have already been evaluated and certified to the new NSF standard, including organic zinc-rich urethane primers, high-solids and 100% solids epoxy linings (Series 22 & Series FC22 Epoxoline), 100% solids urethane linings (Series 406 Elasto-Shield), and 100% solids epoxy pit fillers and seam sealers (Series 215 Surfacing Epoxy). Additionally, Tnemec Company has taken a proactive approach to certifying new product formulations to meet Standard 600 extractable limits.
NSF 600 is a new reference standard that will serve to protect public health and safety and will also have a transformative impact on the coating and lining options available for potable water contact, requiring much lower extractable levels for certain chemicals in the coating and lining systems used. As the industry prepares for the implementation of NSF 600, Tnemec Company is poised to maintain its position as the leading provider of safe and effective lining products for potable water storage applications. Compliance with the new standard will rely on many existing product technologies, in addition to new cutting edge applications which are currently being developed.
So what is in store for the future? Innovation in Every Coat is not just a tag line for the Tnemec Company, it is our DNA. What if we could virtually eliminate solvents in zinc rich primers, epoxy coatings and high performance topcoats? Tnemec has developed a series of water-based coatings to address continued regulation of solvents and promote applicator health & safety. And yes, they even work in immersion! More to come on this topic in the future, but check out this link to address common misconceptions.
CONTACT HPC TODAY to learn more about the impact these changes have on the industry and how we can help put you in contact with the right consultant to help.
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