By: Dr. Jeffrey Lackey, Induron Protective Coatings Technical Director
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes and regulatory changes.” Okay, you caught me. He didn’t really say anything about regulatory changes, but I’m pretty sure he would have if he had made that statement today.
Anyone reading this is likely familiar with all the changes that seem to come in an ever-increasing frequency in terms of VOC regulations, plant emission restrictions, etc. And, if you provide products and services to the potable water market, whether you are a coatings provider, engineer, or paint contractor, you’ve undoubtedly heard a lot about the new NSF/ANSI/CAN61-219/CAN600-2019 standard (commonly referred to as NSF600 or NSF/ANSI/CAN61).
There’s a lot of angst and worry about how this new standard will impact all of us who are in the potable water business. In an article originally published in JPCL’s May 2022 issue, I explained what this new standard does and what it does not do, as well as how you can ensure that your business is not negatively impacted by these changes.
You can read the full article here, but the key takeaway is this:
Yes, the new NSF/ANSI/CAN600 standard contains changes reducing the allowable extractible levels of xylene, toluene, and ethyl benzene in coatings for potable water. However, if you are an engineer or painting contractor, there’s no need to panic; you are not required to change anything if you simply find a coatings manufacturer whose solvent-borne products meet the new standards.
The new standard is old news to Induron Protective Coatings
Induron Protective Coatings has a broad portfolio of products (some in multiple colors) for the potable water market, for both pipes and water tanks. However, about a decade ago, Induron made the decision to reformulate our products to be more environmentally-friendly and as HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants) free as possible.
Induron’s decision to go HAPs free all those years ago left us with a fully-compliant catalog of NSF 61/600-approved ceramic epoxy products, which already have more than a decade of proven performance. This includes a number of solvent-borne products, which have been proven products in the potable water market for many years. In fact, our sales team has an official letter from UL, on UL letterhead, stating that all of these products exceed the new standard. For anyone using these products, the new standard is a complete non-event; there will be no differences of any kind in how they do business on January 1, 2023.
Have any questions about the new standard? Contact us.