Drinking Water Quality: NSF/ANSI 61 Materials and Gaskets in Canada


Drinking water comes into contact with many materials and additives as it moves through the purification process and distribution system. The materials and additives used can impact the final quality of the drinking water at the point of consumption. Therefore, regulating and controlling the materials and additives used is a key activity for ensuring a safe supply of drinking water.

How are Materials for Drinking Water Regulated in Canada?

In Canada, materials and additive products used in the processing and distribution of drinking water are not currently regulated at the national level. Despite this gap, many municipalities have adopted, or are planning to adopt, regulations for controlling the use of materials and additives used in the supply of drinking water.

Although materials and additives used in drinking water production and distribution are not currently regulated at the national level in Canada, Health Canada, the federal department responsible for helping Canadians to maintain and improve their health, does work with international standard-setting organizations to develop health-based standards for materials that come into contact with drinking water.

What are Health-Based Standards for Drinking Water Materials?

Materials used in the production and distribution of drinking water are essentially covered by two types of standards: health-based and installation-based. Health-based standards are designed to safeguard drinking water by ensuring the safety and performance of materials used in processing and distribution. Installation standards, such as plumbing standards, focus on the requirements for putting components and materials into place within the processing and distribution system.

Health-based standards for drinking water materials are developed primarily by NSF International/American National Standards Institute (ANSI). These standards include the NSF/ANSI 61 standard for Drinking water system components – Health effects.

What is the NSF/ANSI 61 Standard?

Developed by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the American National Standards Institute, NSF/ANSI 61 includes criteria for testing and evaluating products to ensure they do not leach hazardous contaminants into water. Developed by a team of scientists, industry experts and key industry stakeholders, NSF/ANSI 61 establishes minimum criteria for impurities and contaminants that may be released indirectly into drinking water from products, components and materials, including joining and sealing materials such as gaskets and seals.

What Drinking Water Applications does the NSF/ANSI 61 Standard Cover?

The NSF/ANSI 61 standard applies to materials used in the following:

  • Public drinking water distribution systems and equipment, including water storage tanks and reservoirs, water meters and all individual components.

  • Joining and sealing materials (gaskets, adhesives, lubricants).

  • Mechanical devices (water meters, valves, and filters).

  • Pipes and related products (pipe, hose, fittings).

  • Plumbing devices (faucets, drinking fountains).

  • Fire hydrants.

  • Process media (filter media, ion exchange resins).

  • Non-metallic potable water materials.

NSF/ANSI 61 Materials and Gaskets from CRG

CRG supplies sealing materials certified as compliant with the NSF/ANSI 61 standard. We also supply finished gaskets fabricated from these certified materials. NSF/ANSI 61 certified materials we supply and work with include the following:

  • American Biltrite AB-576 NSF/ANSI 61 EPDM.American Biltrite AB-576 NSF/ANSI 61 EPDM is a high-quality, ASTM grade sheet that offers outstanding resistance to heat, ozone and sunlight, with superior resistance to water and steam and good flexibility at low temperatures. This sheet satisfies the requirements of the NSF/ANSI 61 and AWWA C111/A21.11 standards. The AWWA C11/A21.11 standard, developed by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), establishes the minimum requirements for rubber gasket joints for ductile-iron pressure pipe and ductile-iron and gray-iron fittings, including requirements and inspection. One of the most important properties of AB-576 sheet is its ability to resist compression set – this sheet exhibits optimum compression set values of 20% maximum for 22 hours at 70°C.

  • Teadit NA1082SAN.Teadit NA1082SAN gasket material is specifically formulated to pass criteria established in the NSF/ANSI 61 standard for sealing materials, as well as providing excellent resistance to conductivity. Compressed fiber sheet technology provides mechani­cal and service characteristics unmatched by standard elastomeric grades.

To find out more about the NSF/ANSI 61 materials and gaskets which CRG can supply, please contact our sales team directly at crg@canadarubbergroup.com.