Zurn Industries Celebrates World Plumbing Day and its own 365-day Commitment to Lead-Free Solutions

March 6, 2013 - PRLog -- PHOTO: http://lopressroom.com/zurn/world-plumbing-day

ERIE, PA – Zurn Industries, LLC joins plumbing organizations and their members in recognizing World Plumbing Day (March 11, 2013) as it also announces the company’s aggressive industry-leading initiative to convert to 100% lead-free products for potable applications in advance of the national deadline is on target.

The Zurn lead-free initiative sets the standard for the industry as it will become the first company to completely convert the broadest product offering.

The federal “Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act” (42 USC 300G) mandates that any valve, fitting or fixture coming in contact with potable water (water used for drinking or cooking) must meet NSF/ANSI Standard 61-G requirements: having weighted average of less than 0.25 percent lead content. The deadline is January 4, 2014.  

“Zurn decided long ago to achieve early compliance with this new standard,” said Scott McDowell, VP Zurn Marketing. “This meant that our entire company has been dedicated to educating and communicating with everyone along the inventory pipeline–raw material suppliers, distributors, contractors and customers–to assist in the conversion to lead-free.”

Zurn has been working on complex, behind-the-scenes details to make the transition as easy as possible for everyone involved. All order processing is either converted or being converted to lead-free part numbers for ease of doing business. A special program was developed for stocking distributors that provides a window of opportunity to exchange qualifying products for lead-free when they commit to the program. Beginning January 4, 2014, only Zurn products defined as lead-free for potable applications in the United States can be sold. Any product still in inventory will become obsolete and ineligible to sell.

“Zurn has had a dedicated team of experts to guide every aspect of our lead-free initiative,” said Rick Fields, Director of Product Marketing for Zurn Wilkins. “When Zurn talks about providing total building solutions for building owners, designers and contractors, the time has arrived when the definition of ‘total building solutions’ includes only lead-free products.”

Zurn Industries has a long history of producing products that are in full compliance with Federal and State low-lead standards. In September 2009, Zurn became the first manufacturer in the industry to provide lead-free, fully-approved backflow prevention assemblies and parts to the market.

Lead contamination can lead to a variety of serious health problems, especially for children and senior citizens. Through studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the PEW Center on the States, Congress discovered that by reducing lead in the nation’s drinking water systems the U.S. could save an estimated $10.8-$53.1 million a year in health care costs.

World Plumbing Day was established by the World Plumbing Council (WPC) to help the general public better understand the extent to which the plumbing industry’s compliance with evolving regulations can help improve both the quality of potable water and the lives of those who drink it. For more information about World Plumbing Day, visit www.worldplumbingday.org.

For detailed information about Zurn lead-free products and lead-free conversion, visit www.zurn.com/LeadFree.

About Zurn Industries
Zurn Industries, LLC is a recognized leader in commercial, municipal, and industrial markets.  Zurn manufactures the largest breadth of engineered water solutions in the industry, including a wide spectrum of sustainable plumbing products. Zurn delivers total building solutions for new construction and retrofit applications that enhance any building’s environment.  For more information, visit www.zurn.com.