NSF freely makes available the NSF/ANSI Standards to facilitate this process. It is NSF’s goal to see the NSF/ANSI Standards become the basis for all others, taking advantage of the considerable efforts of many and realizing the benefits of inter- national harmonization. While it would be preferred that the NSF/ANSI Standards be adopted verbatim, these standards represent a hurdle many foreign manufacturers are not prepared to meet or do not feel it is necessary to meet. There is no question that the NSF/ANSI Standards set a very high bar for products. Consumer protection has been a constant focus in our standards development, leading to many safety factors that likely go well beyond most real-world applications. It is these aspects of the standards that come under scrutiny when they are con- sidered for adoption in foreign countries, and is the most common reason for the locally adopted standards to differ from those of NSF/ANSI. Of course, the final decision rests with the individual coun- try. In these situations, NSF tries to keep the fundamental test methods as similar as possible. If a country decides to modify the standard, there are things that can be done which do not result in a duplication of testing to meet both the NSF/ANSI and the local, foreign standard. An example would be changing the maxi- mum effluent criteria, or the length of test for determining capacity. The same test method can be used, but performance can be measured at different times to sat- isfy multiple standards. The more consis- tent the test method, the easier it is for A Journey of International Harmonization NSF reMarks A PUBLICATION OF THE NSF DRINKING WATER TREATMENT UNIT PROGRAM SPRING 2004 THE UNITED STATES is very fortu- nate to have a long history of national standards for drinking water treatment units. With an eye toward the strength and sophistication of the U.S. market, many international companies have sought to meet NSF/ANSI Standards for their product imports. As more interna- tional companies achieve compliance with these standards, there is a growing movement to adopt the same or similar requirements as foreign national stan- dards. This is particularly true in Asia, where consumer awareness of water qual- ity issues and water treatment devices rivals that of the American market. So how does a country take the next step in developing its own national standards? Some prefer to start from scratch – fortu- nately, not many. It makes little sense when so much time and effort has been invested in existing standards that are often already used by local manufactur- ers. It is also fortunate that few countries opt for this method because it is inevitable that the resulting standards will differ sig- nificantly from NSF/ANSI. While it seems logical that anyone writing standards for a product would end at a similar point-“similar” can often be dif- ferent enough to require duplicate testing against different methods intended to answer the same basic questions. Subtle differences, such as test pressures and cycle times, can be enough to result in duplicate efforts and higher cost. Another option is to modify existing NSF/ANSI Standards to meet local needs; a third is to adopt them verbatim. manufacturers to gain acceptance in many markets through a single test. Adoption of NSF/ANSI Standards in Asia In February, Tom Bruursema, NSF’s General Manager for the Drinking Water Treatment Unit Program, visited three Asian countries —Taiwan, Korea and Japan — to further the adoption of and harmonization with NSF/ANSI Standards. Here’s a snapshot of his trip: Taiwan continues its move toward adoption of the first Chinese National Standard, based entirely on NSF/ANSI Standard 42. NSF signed an agreement in June 2001 with the Taiwan Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI). This agreement allowed transfer of the NSF/ANSI Standards to BSMI for their adoption as Chinese National Standards. All six drinking water treat- ment unit standards were included, along with NSF/ANSI Standard 61. The BSMI appointed an expert committee to review the standards. The committee has met many times to discuss Standard 42, and its adoption is expected soon, followed immediately by review of the others. continued on page 7 NSF’s Tom Bruursema, center, meets with Taiwan BSMI officials about the adoption of NSF/ ANSI Standard 42 as a Chinese National Standard.
Transcript
NSF freely makes available the NSF/ANSIStandards to facilitate this process. It isNSF’s goal to see the NSF/ANSI Standardsbecome the basis for all others, takingadvantage of the considerable efforts ofmany and realizing the benefits of inter-national harmonization.
While it would be preferred that theNSF/ANSI Standards be adopted verbatim,these standards represent a hurdle manyforeign manufacturers are not preparedto meet or do not feel it is necessary tomeet. There is no question that theNSF/ANSI Standards set a very high barfor products. Consumer protection hasbeen a constant focus in our standardsdevelopment, leading to many safety factors that likely go well beyond mostreal-world applications.
It is these aspects of the standards thatcome under scrutiny when they are con-sidered for adoption in foreign countries,and is the most common reason for thelocally adopted standards to differ fromthose of NSF/ANSI. Of course, the finaldecision rests with the individual coun-try. In these situations, NSF tries to keepthe fundamental test methods as similaras possible. If a country decides to modifythe standard, there are things that can bedone which do not result in a duplicationof testing to meet both the NSF/ANSI andthe local, foreign standard.
An example would be changing the maxi-mum effluent criteria, or the length oftest for determining capacity. The sametest method can be used, but performancecan be measured at different times to sat-isfy multiple standards. The more consis-tent the test method, the easier it is for
A Journey of International Harmonization
NSF r eMarksA P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E N S F D R I N K I N G W A T E R T R E A T M E N T U N I T P R O G R A M
SPRING 2004
THE UNITED STATES is very fortu-nate to have a long history of nationalstandards for drinking water treatmentunits. With an eye toward the strengthand sophistication of the U.S. market,many international companies havesought to meet NSF/ANSI Standards fortheir product imports. As more interna-tional companies achieve compliancewith these standards, there is a growingmovement to adopt the same or similarrequirements as foreign national stan-dards. This is particularly true in Asia,where consumer awareness of water qual-ity issues and water treatment devicesrivals that of the American market.
So how does a country take the next stepin developing its own national standards?Some prefer to start from scratch – fortu-nately, not many. It makes little sensewhen so much time and effort has beeninvested in existing standards that areoften already used by local manufactur-ers. It is also fortunate that few countriesopt for this method because it is inevitablethat the resulting standards will differ sig-nificantly from NSF/ANSI.
While it seems logical that anyone writingstandards for a product would end at asimilar point-“similar” can often be dif-ferent enough to require duplicate testingagainst different methods intended toanswer the same basic questions. Subtledifferences, such as test pressures andcycle times, can be enough to result induplicate efforts and higher cost. Anotheroption is to modify existing NSF/ANSIStandards to meet local needs; a third isto adopt them verbatim.
manufacturers to gain acceptance inmany markets through a single test.
Adoption of NSF/ANSI Standards in Asia
In February, Tom Bruursema, NSF’sGeneral Manager for the Drinking WaterTreatment Unit Program, visited threeAsian countries —Taiwan, Korea andJapan—to further the adoption of andharmonization with NSF/ANSI Standards.Here’s a snapshot of his trip:
Taiwan continues its move towardadoption of the first Chinese NationalStandard, based entirely on NSF/ANSIStandard 42. NSF signed an agreement inJune 2001 with the Taiwan Bureau ofStandards, Metrology and Inspection(BSMI). This agreement allowed transferof the NSF/ANSI Standards to BSMI for their adoption as Chinese NationalStandards. All six drinking water treat-ment unit standards were included, alongwith NSF/ANSI Standard 61. The BSMIappointed an expert committee to reviewthe standards. The committee has metmany times to discuss Standard 42, andits adoption is expected soon, followedimmediately by review of the others.
continued on page 7
NSF’s Tom Bruursema, center, meets with TaiwanBSMI officials about the adoption of NSF/ ANSIStandard 42 as a Chinese National Standard.
NSF reMarks
2
EPA Guide Standard for Microbiological Water Purifiers
NSF HAS ISSUED ITS F IRST certification to the USEPA “GuideStandard and Protocol for Testing Micro-biological Water Purifiers.” The USEPAestablished the Guide Standard in 1986 totest treatment systems making microbio-logical claims of water purification.
According to the Guide Standard, a “puri-fier” is any treatment system claiming toremove, kill or inactivate all types of dis-ease-causing microorganisms from water,including bacteria, viruses and protozoancysts. Data generated under the GuideStandard is required by the USEPA forfederal registration as a “purifier.”
The standard has long been recognized as the bar that must be met to make theclaim of “purifier,” as administered by the USEPA Office of Pesticide Programs.
The EPA Standard contains technology-specific test protocols for halogenatedresins, ultraviolet treatment systems andceramic candles. The standard also setsthe general framework for developingspecific test protocols for any other tech-nology. For example, this frameworkincludes specifications for characteristicsof the challenge water, designed to simu-late a worst-case untreated water source.It also includes provisions for elevatedlevels of turbidity, TDS and TOC, highand low pH conditions and varying watertemperatures, depending on the type oftechnology.
Three tests are conducted according tothe EPA Standard. The protozoan cystreduction test can follow either the EPAStandard or NSF/ANSI Standard 53 usinglive cysts or microspheres. The bacterialreduction challenge is performed withKlebsiella terrigena, and a mixed challengeof Polio and Rotavirus is used for the viralchallenge. Use of MS2 coliphage for theviral testing, though not specified in theStandard, has been accepted by EPA as asuitable alternative. The table above
shows reduction requirements for allthree tests.
To ensure that water treatment systemsare fully evaluated before issuing NSFcertification, the EPA Guide Standard wascombined with the requirements of theNSF/ANSI Drinking Water TreatmentUnit Standards for evaluating materials,structural integrity, and requirements for product literature. The combinationresulted in an NSF protocol — NSF ProtocolP231: Microbiological Water Purifiers.
The term “protocol” helps distinguish this from the many American NationalStandards published by NSF. A protocolhas all the elements necessary to properlyevaluate and certify products, but is notan American National Standard. To fur-ther distinguish the scope of certification,the product must carry specific text withthe NSF Mark that clarifies the documentto which it has been evaluated, as shown:
First Product Certified to NSF Protocol P231
In January, Pall/Kinetico Purefecta™became the first product to become NSFcertified under NSF Protocol P231:Microbiological Water Purifiers. NSFCertified products like the Pall/KineticoPurefecta™ enable consumers to protecttheir families against potentially harmfulmicroorganisms in their drinking water.
Future of NSF Protocol P231
NSF has been working with its standardsdevelopment committee for the past sev-eral years to establish a complete set ofNSF/ANSI standards for all microbiologi-cal treatment claims that will encompassthe testing and certification under NSFProtocol P231. Two standards are beingproposed: one for supplemental treat-ment of microbiologically safe water andanother for unsafe water. The unsafewater standard will mirror that of NSFP231, and will eventually replace theProtocol with an NSF/ANSI Standard.Multiple technologies will be addressedunder both the safe and unsafe waterstandards, including mechanical, halogen,distillation, UV and others.
Microbiological Reduction Requirements of the EPA StandardTest/Organism Influent Challenge Minimum Reduction
1 A combinedchallenge of thePolio andRotavirus is used.A joint 4-logreduction isacceptable.
2 If testing accord-ing to NSF/ANSIStandard 53, a3.3-log (99.95%)reduction isrequired.
The [INSERT TRADE DESIGNATION] system iscertified by NSF International against NSF P231
- Microbiological Water Purifiers based on therecommendations set forth in the USEPA Guide Standard and Protocol for Microbiological Water
Purifiers (OPP Task Force Report, 1987).
WATTS WATER TECHNOLOGIES,INC. designs, manufactures and sells anextensive line of valves and other prod-ucts to the water quality, water regulationand control markets. The company is agood example of how to benefit from astrong relationship with NSF across mul-tiple subsidiaries and product lines.
Watts takes full advantage of its relation-ship with NSF by participating in a co-marketing program that promotes con-sumer awareness by attending all NSFIndustry Forums and Joint Commiteemeetings, and by participating in NSFtraining seminars and sponsorships atNSF’s conferences. One subsidiary, WattsPremier, teams up with NSF’s ETVDrinking Water Systems Center throughthe USEPA Environmental TechnologyVerification (ETV) program. A Wattsreverse osmosis (RO) system is being test-ed against a new Homeland Security pro-tocol for reduction of microbiologicalagents. The DWS center is one of severalU.S. EPA ETV centers dedicated to pro-viding credible enviromental perform-ance data.
Watts Premier produces a complete lineof water filtration products and compo-nents, including filtration, RO, water soft-ening and custom design (through itsretail division). Watts recently acquiredFlowmatic Inc., which also has productscertified by NSF International.
Watts has manufacturing plants and dis-tribution channels throughout the UnitedStates, Canada, and Europe, and the com-pany also has a majority-controlled jointventure in The People’s Republic ofChina. Most of the company’s manufac-turing plants and divisions have workedwith NSF International for several yearsand have developed relationships with
C E R T I F I E D C O M P A N Y P R O F I L E
NSF program representatives. Constantcommunication–via phone calls, visits to NSF, and e-mail– has brought themsubstantial business benefits.
By making the NSF program representa-tive part of its team, Watts receives theresults it seeks on such issues as meetingimportant deadlines for new productlaunches and revisions to its currentproduct lines.
This close working relationship helpedstreamline the certification process andreduce time to market for Watts Premier’sZero Waste RO unit. Conference callswith NSF and Watts Premier ensured thatthe timelines were reasonable and thatthe project was progressing to meet dead-lines. NSF gave timely updates on testingschedules, results, and when the productwould be posted on the NSF Listing Web site.
Watts has long used NSF Certification todistinguish its products in the market-place. Premier has a variety of systemsand components certified to NSF/ANSIDrinking Water Treatment Standards 42,53, and 58. Another subsidiary, WattsRegulator Company, has products certi-fied to NSF/ANSI DWTU Standard 44,Standard 61, and Standard 18 for manualfood and dispensing equipment. Otherdivisions –Watts Industries, WattsRadiant, and Watts Anderson Barrows–have products certified against NSF/ANSIStandards 14 and 61.
From product certification to technologyverification, several of Watts Water Tech-nologies’ key divisions have effectivelyleveraged NSF’s services to increase certi-fication efficiencies and time to market.
3
Watts Water Technologies
Upcoming Events
March 18-19, Water Quality Association,
Baltimore, Booth 427-29
May 4-5, Conference: Risk Management
Strategies for Drinking Water Facilities,
Ann Arbor, NSF International World
Headquarters
March 24 and September 22 , Training:
Product Certification Under NSF/ANSI
Standards 42 and 53
New Lab Course
NSF is pleased to announce a new DWTU
testing lab course available only to NSF
customers. This course includes both
classroom and in lab training.
June 15-17 and November 16-18
DWTU Lab Testing Course
Recent Certifications
THE WATERPUR COMPANY
AQUAFLEX INTERNATIONAL
WATER RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL
MAYTAG INTERNATIONAL, INC.
WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
SIAM CAST NYLON CO., LTD.
IONICS FIDELITY WATER SYSTEMS
POLYMER AND STEEL TECHNOLOGIES HLDG. CO.
A. J. ANTUNES & CO.
FILBUR MANUFACTURING
FLOWMATIC SYSTEMS, INC.
LIQUATEC.COM
ELKEN SDN. BHD
FILTERXPRESS DIV. OF PROCAM CONTROLS, INC.
WAVE CYBER (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
3
eventually leach nitrate back into productwater. To guard against this possibility,the proposed protocol requires that prod-uct water samples be monitored for bothperchlorate and nitrate.
Once the details of the protocol havebeen finalized, several laboratories will be asked to help validate the proposedmethod for consistency and to ensurethat no unexpected issues arise whenconducting the test. The validated testmethod will then be balloted through the Joint Committee for adoption intoNSF/ANSI 53.
Standards Reformatting
NSF has completed reformatting ofNSF/ANSI 42, 44, 53, 58 and 62 to bemore logically ordered and easier to follow. Test methods are contained in one section, start to finish. Mandatory contaminant reduction claims and othermandatory system requirements are separated from optional ones. Tables areintegrated into the applicable sections,and addenda are now integrated into themain bodies of the Standards.
NSF/ANSI 42–2002e and NSF/ANSI53–2002e were printed on November 12,2003. The reformatted versions ofStandards 44, 55, 58, and 62 will to beissued this year.
Shower Filters (NSF/ANSI 177)
Draft NSF/ANSI 177 has been underdevelopment for some time. In 2003, agreat deal of activity helped to move thisstandard forward, including a round of
balloting, followed by teleconferenceswith the task group, and a presentation tothe Joint Committee of the task group’sproposal to resolve negative ballots. Thisactivity led to a reballot of the currentlyrevised version in early 2004 that isunderway at press time.
NSF/ANSI 177 will include a mandatorycontaminant reduction performanceclaim for free available chlorine, a struc-tural integrity test, and specific productliterature. Material safety is addressedthrough wetted material reviews, a prohi-bition of lead as a material formulationingredient, and a prohibition on solventbonding techniques.
TOC Surrogate
Total organic carbon (TOC) is present insurface waters, primarily from decayingorganic material. Certain contaminantreduction testing under NSF/ANSI 42and 53 uses water from a public watersupply that must contain at least 1.0mg/L of TOC. However, differences insource water TOC composition and concentration can cause differences inNSF/ANSI 42 and 53 contaminant reduc-tion capacities for the same product atdifferent laboratories. Such inter-labora-tory variations in test results on the sameproduct are undesirable, and a task grouphas been working to find a solution.
The group’s solution is to develop a stan-dardized mixture of organic compoundstypical of naturally occurring TOC thatwill ultimately be used when performingcertain contaminant reduction testingunder NSF/ANSI Standards 42, 53, and58. The TOC mixture will be added toreverse osmosis/deionized (RO/DI) treated water at a specific concentrationto create water of identical composition,regardless of the public water supplysource for any laboratory performing the contaminant reduction testing.
THROUGH AN OPEN consensusprocess, volunteer task groups of dedicatedmanufacturers, regulators, and users ofwater treatment products have been dili-gently pursuing various Standards-relatedgoals. Here’s an update on their recentactivities.
Perchlorate Reduction: RO Units
Perchlorate continues to be a very hottopic. An NSF initiative in 2003 led to theadoption of requirements for a perchlo-rate reduction claim for reverse osmosissystems under NSF/ANSI 58.
The test consists of a 130 ug/L perchlo-rate challenge that must be reduced to 4 ug/L throughout the weeklong test period to meet the requirements ofthe standard. TDS water, consisting ofRO/DI-treated water with 750 mg/L ofNaCl added, is used to make up the perchlorate challenge.
Please contact your program representa-tive for more information on conductingPerchlorate Reduction testing on RO systems.
Perchlorate Reduction: Non-RO Units
Building on the momentum and successof the efforts to develop a perchloratereduction claim for RO systems, a taskgroup has been formed to develop a testfor perchlorate reduction for non-ROsystems, including anion exchange resinsystems. This group is finalizing a pro-posed test method that will include waterspecifically formulated to contain poten-tially interfering anions.
Because nitrate is frequently present in water contaminated with perchlorate,nitrate will be included in the proposedtest water. This is important becauseanion exchange resins can potentiallybecome overloaded with nitrate and
Changes of Note in NSF/ANSI DWTU Standards
4
S T A N D A R D S U P D A T E
continued on next page
NSF reMarks
The group’s original TOC mixture con-sisted of ten different compounds. Aftersolubility testing of these ten compounds,two were eliminated and the group pro-ceeded with a mixture of the remainingeight.
The group then conducted a further pre-liminary study to evaluate clogging of fil-ter systems using RO/DI water containingthe proposed TOC mixture. Unfortunately,the test filter systems clogged rapidlyunder these conditions.
The next step will be to fine-tune theTOC mixture to establish a water sourcethat does not exacerbate clogging of car-bon block filters. Once that has beencompleted, the group will evaluate con-taminant reduction capacities with thenew TOC approach, and see how theycompare to capacities obtained with pub-licly available water supplies. Look for anupdate on this group’s progress in thenext issue of NSF ReMarks.
Standard 53 Arsenic III Reduction
Laboratory validation of a proposedArsenic III reduction protocol has beencompleted. The task group has evaluatedthe results and determined that the vali-dation was successful. Based on this eval-uation, the group will soon prepare a ballot for adoption of the claim into theStandard. After adoption of the claim forArsenic III reduction, units can be certi-fied for total arsenic reduction claimswhen meeting both the Arsenic III andArsenic V requirements. Watch for anupdate in the next issue of NSF ReMarks.
Microbiological Treatment Standards
Work continues on the “safe water” stan-dard for microbiological treatment tech-nologies. This “safe water” standard willhave a new number–NSF/ANSI 244.Work is ongoing through a number ofsub-task groups, organized by technology.The sub-task groups on halogen tech-nologies and mechanical filtration haveeach proposed sections of NSF/ANSI 244that have been through an initial ballot ofthe Joint Committee.
As a next step, the sub-task group chairspresented ballot comments at the May2003 meeting of the Joint Committeemeeting, which voted to allow the groupsto proceed and resolve the pendingissues. Since then, the mechanical filtra-tion sub-task group has written a newdraft that is being discussed and will beballoted soon. The halogen technologiessub-task group is currently working onits new draft.
Sub-task groups for the heat inactivationand ozone technologies will base theirdevelopment on the work of the halogentechnologies and mechanical filtrationgroups.
The NSF Standards group has establisheda framework for the “unsafe water” stan-dard, which will be NSF/ANSI 221.Activity will begin in 2004 and shouldproceed quickly, using NSF/ANSI 244and other unsafe water treatment testingwork conducted by NSF as a basis.
Cyst Microsphere Round Robin Study
A study to investigate the inter-laboratorycomparability of test results for NSF/ANSI cyst reduction testing has beenconducted. Carbon block filters from thesame production lot were supplied to anumber of participating laboratories.Three laboratories (NSF and two manu-facturers) tested the filters against theNSF/ ANSI 53 cyst microsphere reduc-tion protocol.
To limit the variables in comparingresults, the microspheres and cloggingdust were supplied by NSF from the samelots. The data from the three laboratorieshas been circulated to the task group. Thetask group will hold a conference call todiscuss the test results obtained with thenominal clogging dust required byNSF/ANSI 53, as well as results from fine clogging dust. Look for an update onthe task group’s interpretation of resultsin our next issue.
Still have questions? Call Tom Bruursema
or Rick Andrew at 1-800-NSF-MARK, or
contact your program representative.
NSFC
<end-use>*U.S.
5
Quebec Regulation and Compliance
Requirements
Quebec still requires that all drinking water
treatment units be certified to the applicable
NSF/ANSI Drinking Water Treatment Unit
Standard (NSF/ANSI 44, 53, 55, 58, and
62). Products must be certified by an organ-
ization accredited by the Standards Council
of Canada (SCC) for these products. NSF is
SCC accredited, allowing for acceptance in
Quebec of all NSF Certified drinking water
treatment units. NSF Certified products are
in full compliance with the original regula-
tion issued in September 2002.
Three interim options for approved sale of
products in Canada are intended to allow
manufacturers time to come into full com-
pliance with the regulations by July 1, 2004
for NSF/ANSI Standards 53, 58 and 62 and
October 1, 2004, for NSF/ANSI Standards
44 and 55. These interim options are due to
expire this year:
• DWTUs in which the components in con-
tact with the potable water are certified
to NSF/ANSI 61 or NQ 3660-950.
• DWTUs covered by the “Environmental
Technology Verification (ETV)” program
of NSF International’s Drinking Water
Systems (DWS) Center.
• DWTUs certified under the terms of the
“Gold Seal” program of the Water
Quality Association (WQA).
New Agreement with CSA International
NSF recently announced a cooperative
agreement with CSA International to facili-
tate the sharing of test data. The agreement
will allow mutual certification customers to
reduce the testing necessary to achieve both
NSF and CSA certifications. Introduction of
the cNSF Mark has helped many NSF cus-
tomers obtain acceptance in Canada with-
out carrying dual certifications. However,
some NSF customers want to have dual cer-
tification with CSA. Establishing a relation-
ship that allows for the review and accept-
ance of each organization’s test data will
simplify this process.
Recent CertificationDevelopments in Canada
LAST SEPTEMBER, NSF Inter-national launched a brand awarenesscampaign to highlight the vast reach ofNSF and the importance of the NSFMark. The campaign seeks to encourageconsumers to Live safer™ and help themunderstand the influence and extensiveimpact NSF has on individuals and public health worldwide.
In conjunction withthe Live safer™ cam-paign, NSF launchedClean Hands AcrossAmerica,™ a publichealth and safety initiative that pro-motes handwashing as a simpler, yethighly effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and food-borne illnesses. The campaign reinforcesthe importance of proper handwashing to parents, children, educators and foodser-vice personnel.
Consumer response to the Live safer™campaign has been immediate and posi-tive. The NSF Consumer Affairs Officehandled a record 13,000 inquiries in2003, with the DWTU program generat-ing the most interest.
By the NumbersThe statistics attest to the success of the
consumer awareness campaign:
Advertising: 167 million impressions to date
• Wall Street Journal (9 ads) 33,201,000
impressions
• USA Today (10 ads) 56,940,000
impressions
• People (4 ads) 141,332,000 impressions
• Forbes (2 ads) 8,970,000 impressions
• Sports Illustrated (2 ads) 42,372,000
impressions
• Time (3 ads) 71,691,000 impressions
• Better Homes & Gardens (2 ads)
78,974,000 impressions
Early response to the campaign• 2,790 e-mails in the last quarter of 2003
(a 56 percent increase)
• 465 CD-ROM requests in October,
445 requests in November, and
608 requests in December 2003
• The NSF Consumer Affairs Office
continues to average 20-30 CD-ROM
requests per day
Consumer Response in 2003
E-mails/Written Inquiries 7,800
Phone Calls 5,404
Media Mentions 205
Literature Requests 1,144
CD-ROM Requests 1,531
Web Hits 3,991,781
R E A C H I N G O U T T O C O N S U M E R S
NSF’s Live Safer™ ConsumerCampaign Gets Rave Reviews
6
NSF Gains Recognition for Another Consumer-Focused Program
The National Football League and NFL
Player’s Association (NFLPA) recently
announced a new agreement with NSF
International to test dietary supplements
for substances banned by the NFL. The
agreement marks the first time that a pro-
fessional sports organization or player’s
association has sought third-party testing
on the dietary supplements made available
to its players.
Eligible and participating manufacturers of
nutritional supplements may certify the
accuracy of product labeling and certify
that the products contain no substances
banned under the NFL/NFLPA Policy on
Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances.
Supplements that pass the purity test will
carry a seal of approval from NSF and will
also be available to the public.
Most supplements are no longer under
pre-market regulation by the FDA and are
not tested by federal or state governments.
Independent studies have suggested that a
significant number of supplements contain
ingredients not listed on the packaging,
including ingredients banned by the NFL
and NFLPA Policy. This program addresses
this problem by providing players with a
reliable source of non-banned supplements.
Gene Upshaw, executive director of the
NFL Player’s Association, recently told the
Associated Press: “If the players take these
products, this is a way for us to guarantee
that what they take is what’s on the label.”
Through NSF private label certifications,
consumers can also look for the NSF Mark
on supplements in many retail stores,
including General Nutrition Corporation
(GNC), Kmart, and stores selling Nutrilite
products.
Neither the NFL nor the NFLPA endorses or encour-
ages the use of supplements or makes any claims
regarding their effectiveness.
New Web Site in the Works
NSF will soon launch anew Web site that con-tains special features,articles and consumertips. At left is a sneakpreview of the newhome page!
Korea has had a mandatory programfor drinking water treatment units sinceAugust 1997, when the Ministry of theEnvironment (MOE) amended the Acton Drinking Water Management, requir-ing manufacturers to certify their prod-ucts. The local certification is managedby the Korea Water Purifier IndustryCooperative (KWPIC). Members of boththe MOE and KWPIC have visited NSFto learn about our standards and certifi-cation process.
Bruursema met with these organizationsduring a recent visit, and an NSF seminardrew many industry and governmentparticipants, including the KoreaConsumer Affairs Institute and other keystakeholders. Their discussion focused onchanges in Korean requirements to betterharmonize with NSF standards. NSFCertification has always been accepted byKWPIC to meet their local requirements.Now, KWPIC is looking to move furthertoward the NSF requirements for allcompanies doing business in Korea.
The Japanese Industrial Standards(JIS) include separate standards for mate-rials, structural integrity and perform-ance. In addition, there are regulatoryrequirements under the HouseholdGoods Quality Labeling Law that makecompliance mandatory for all products.
Compliance can be demonstratedthrough a third-party or by self-declara-tion. The material and structural stan-dards were adopted in 1997, and the per-formance standard in 1999. Althoughsimilar in their foundation, there are
many differences between the JIS and the NSF/ANSI Standards.
The Japanese Water Purifier Association(JWPA), an industry trade group, hasbeen very active in the establishment ofthe JIS standards. JWPA and NSF havehad a long working relationship. Theirrepresentatives have visited NSF, and NSFhas met with them in Japan. DuringBruursema’s most recent visit, JWPA andNSF began the first discussions toward a more complete understanding of eachorganizations standards, their origin, anda mutual commitment to work toward harmonization.
NSF’s latest visits are examples of themany activities worldwide related to stan-dards development for drinking watertreatment units. All continents are takingaction, recognizing that these productsbring a great benefit to consumers, butneed to be tested and certified to ensurethat benefit is being delivered. NSF iscommitted to offering the NSF/ANSIstandards for use and openly listening toideas of others for change and expansionof the NSF/ANSI standards.
International Harmonization,continued from page 1
7
NSF Lab to Add Next-Generation Injection Test Rigs
New test rigs that add capacity and capability
for conducting contaminant reduction test-
ing are expected to be operational in the
NSF Lab this June. Six new injection test
stands will be added, further expanding
NSF’s extensive network of test facilities.
“This new rig is the fifth generation injection
test rig that NSF has developed,” said
Laboratory Manager Rob Herman. “We
considered feedback from customers and
tailored our capabilities to meet their
needs,” he said.
In line with the recent demand to test rela-
tively high flow rate systems, the new rig
will be able to deliver flow rates of up to 20
gpm. The rig is fully contained in the NSF
Microbiology Lab, which will allow all six
stands to be used for full microbiological
contaminant reduction testing that includes
challenges with pathogenic organisms. The
rig will be equipped with a chiller so that
high-flow testing can be performed at tem-
peratures as low as 4°C.
In addition to the microbiological contami-
nant feature, the fifth-generation injection
test rig will be able to handle all contami-
nants normally run through injection test-
ing. This includes all Standard 53 organic
contaminants, as well as Standard 42 chlo-
rine reduction, and all Standard 42 and 53
mechanical filtration tests. The new rig can
also be used for Standard 58 contaminant
reduction testing of RO systems.
Representatives from NSF and JWPA met in Tokyo in February to discuss how to harmonizeNSF and JIS standards and outline a working relationship for product certification.
An awards presentation in Seoul, Korea, duringan NSF seminar on NSF/ANSI Standards to help further harmonization with Korean standards.
NSF International
P.O. Box 13140
Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140 USA
Non-Profit Org.
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PAID
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Ann Arbor, MI
NSF RemarksSpring 2004
A publication of NSF International
NSF Drinking Water TreatmentUnit Certification Program
Tom Bruursema, General Manager
Rick Andrew, Technical Manager
Craig Zechman, New Client Sales
Editor
Greta Houlahan,
Communications Specialist
NSF International789 N. Dixboro RoadAnn Arbor, MI 48105 U.S.A.Web site: www.nsf.orgPhone: 1-800-NSF-MARKFax: (734) 769-0109
To request additional copies of this publication or to submit information, con-tact Greta Houlahan at (800) NSF-MARK,ext. 5723, or [email protected].
NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organ-ization, is dedicated to being the leading global provider of public health and safety risk management solutions while serving the interests of all stakeholders. NSF providesproduct certification and safety audits for the food and water industries. Other servicesinclude management systems registrationsdelivered through NSF International StrategicRegistrations, Ltd., and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.Serving companies in 80 countries, NSF wasfounded in 1944 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
NSF to Host Conference on Applying HACCP to Water Utility OperationsON MAY 4-5, 2004, NSF Inter-national will host a two-day conference at its Ann Arbor headquarters on theapplication of Hazard Analysis CriticalControl Points (HACCP) in drinkingwater utility operations. The event willoffer a North American perspective onthe feasibility and benefits of Water SafetyPlans, as well as the use of HACCP andManagement Systems as tools to improverisk management practices in the watertreatment and supply industry.
Additional topics include:• WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water
Quality and Water Safety Plans.• Potential synergies of HACCP with
ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 managementsystems.
• Relationship to existing quality andsecurity programs such as QualServand EPA vulnerability assessments.
“This conference is a follow-up to the‘Risk Management Strategies forDrinking Water’ conference held in April 2003 in Berlin,” said Stan Hazan,Executive Director of the NSF Center forPublic Health Education. “It will elabo-rate on the risk management concepts forsecuring drinking water safety discussedduring the first conference.”
Conference Sponsors
Our thanks to the following sponsors forcontributing their expertise and support:
