We couldn’t agree more, unleaded water is the way to go and the technology exists to accomplish that, which is a good thing for all of us.
Editorial: Getting the lead out
State should stick to new faucet standards
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, July 16, 2007
California enacted a bold law last year to protect children and adults from the dangers of lead in drinking water.
Assembly Bill 1953 limited the amount of lead that can be contained in plumbing pipes, fittings and fixtures. Currently, such plumbing can contain up to 8 percent lead, some of which can leach into drinking water.
The new law requires manufacturers to produce faucets and other plumbing with no more than 0.25 percent lead by 2010. Can the industry do it? It can, but only if progressive firms step up to the challenge instead of resorting to scare tactics.
Trade publications and other sources note that faucets and other fixtures can be made with alloys that don't include lead. Lead alloys are favored by the industry because they are easy to forge and machine. But in Japan, manufacturers have been making nonleaded fixtures for many years, generally by using alloys such as silicon brasses and bismuth.
Here in California, manufacturers could profit handsomely by setting up a facility to make non-leaded plumbing fixtures for a major market. Sadly, lobbyists for the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute continue to obfuscate, saying the new law will "create product shortages leading to building stoppages and job losses."
