DEP Surveillance Program Shows Most Stores Complying With Lead Ban Act

DEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water recently completed its annual Lead Ban Surveillance Program to educate the plumbing supply industry about the requirements of the Lead Ban Act.

The Pennsylvania Plumbing System Lead Ban and Notification Act was enacted in 1989 and prohibits the sale or use of 50/50 or 85/15 tin-lead acid core or solid wire solders or any leaded solder that does not contain a warning statement on the label.  

The Lead Ban Act also restricts the sale and use of all other leaded solders to non-plumbing use only.

This summer, DEP interns visited hardware stores, home centers and other retail facilities that sell solder to gather data used to determine whether banned solder is sold and whether restricted solder is properly labeled and is not sold in the plumbing section.

Of the 392 stores visited, 323 sell solder.  Most of the 323 stores were selling lead-free solder and 57 percent sell only lead free solder.  In 2015, only 7 i of the stores selling solder were in violation of the Lead Ban Act: 5 percent were selling banned solder and 2 percent were selling restricted solder in the plumbing section with no stores selling both banned and restricted solder in the plumbing section.

The final report for 2015 is available online.  Copies of previous annual reports are available on DEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water Program Activities Reports webpage.
(Reprinted from the Sept. 3 DEP News. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

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