Zero Technologies’ pour-through water filtration pitchers are the first to achieve certification for lead reduction.

NSF International announced that Zero Technologies LLC has obtained NSF certification for its pour-through water filtration pitchers. Zero Technologies is the first company to achieve certification of a filtration pitcher for lead reduction under the new requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units ― Health Effects.

As of July 2007, all drinking water filters, including pour-through pitchers, faucet mounts and built-in faucet filters, certified by NSF must meet new test requirements for making claims of lead reduction under NSF/ANSI Standard 53. Previously, the lead reduction test protocol did not require a challenge with a specific percentage of particulate lead in addition to soluble lead. The new test protocol requires that particulate lead must be generated in the challenge water at a specific percentage.

Recent studies have indicated that lead contamination of drinking water can occur in either or both particulate and soluble forms. Since both forms of lead have adverse health effects if consumed, water treatment products certified for lead reduction should be able to treat particulate lead in addition to soluble lead.

NSF's Drinking Water Treatment Program tests and certifies filters used to reduce contaminants, such as lead, from drinking water. Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 includes ongoing inspections of the manufacturing facility and periodic testing to make sure the product does not leach harmful levels of metals or other contaminants into drinking water and continues to perform as originally certified.

The requirements were adopted into NSF/ANSI Standard 53 in February 2007 with approval from the NSF Joint Committee on Drinking Water Treatment Units, an independent consensus standards body composed of a balanced representation of stakeholders including regulators, industry representatives and product users. Manufacturers were also notified of the new requirements at that time.

The official NSF Standard 53 listing for Zero Technologies drinking water filtration products is available on NSF's website here.

For more information on NSF's new requirements for lead reduction, contact Rick Andrew at 734-913-5757 or andrew@nsf.org.