This American National Standard limits the amount of impurities that individual products can introduce into a home’s water supply, including lead and other metals, volatile organic chemicals, phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). Products covered by this standard include faucets, pipe, drinking water fountains, water meters and water storage tanks.

Selecting Faucets

Because of concerns about the leaching of lead and other impurities into drinking water, all kitchen and bathroom faucets sold in the U.S. are required to meet the lead leaching requirements of American National Standard NSF/ANSI/CAN 61. Certification to this standard is noted on the product packaging and may also be on the product. If you don’t see the NSF mark or a reference to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 certification on the product or packaging, the faucet may not be intended for drinking water use.

Avoid drinking water from outdoor spigots, laundry tub faucets, bathtub spigots and utility sinks. Because these products are not intended for dispensing drinking water, they are not required to meet the same material safety standards as kitchen and bathroom faucets.