SACRAMENTO, Calif. – State legislation to set a legally enforceable limit on the amount of lead leaching from drinking water faucets and fixtures passed out of the California Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on Wednesday.
Assembly Bill 100, by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), would create the nation’s most legally stringent lead leaching standard for faucets – no more than 1 microgram. California would be the first state to pass a performance standard to ensure faucets and fixtures are truly lead-free. Legislators are working with the plumbing industry to also require consumer-friendly labeling of faucets that meet the new standard.
Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause permanent brain damage, especially in children, who absorb half of the lead they ingest. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead exposure for children.
In 2018, an investigation by NSF International, an independent consultant on public health standards, found that about one-fourth of the 692 faucets tested leached noticeable levels of lead. These fixtures are sold in stores nationwide.
“It is ridiculous that we’re still exposed to lead from fixtures leaching significant amounts into drinking water,” said Susan Little, EWG’s senior advocate for California government affairs. “Ending lead exposure is critical to protect students’ health. This bill will ensure that California schools and child care centers will be able to find the more health-protective faucets on store shelves by the end of the year.”
No federal or state laws explicitly limits the amount of lead that may leach from drinking water faucets and fixtures sold in California. The industry standard was recently revised to prohibit faucets certified beginning January 1, 2024, from leaching more than 1 microgram of lead on average, but still allows faucets certified before 2024 to be sold.
Holden’s bill would require that all faucets sold in California meet the lower standard beginning on January 1, 2022.
“We all expect the water we drink will keep us and our children healthy, and not make us sick,” said Holden, who last year authored an earlier version of the bill, which passed the assembly but was held by the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This legislation ensures that faucets and plumbing fixtures sold in California leach as little lead as possible.”
“Public dollars are being spent and they’re buying products without a clear understanding of what they’re buying,” said Holden. “It is crucial to ensure proper labeling so that it is easily understood. We want proper labeling out sooner than later.”
AB 100 is co-sponsored by EWG, CalPIRG and Clean Water Action. The bill will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee next week.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
