The Bureau of Standards, Metrology & Inspection (BSMI) has announced on May 11, 2016 that drinking water faucets both imported and domestically produced from January 1, 2017 onward must comply with CNS 8088 standard, which was revised on November 11, 2015.
The revision of CNS 8088 "Faucets, ball taps and flush valves" was made in response to international trend and domestic demand, said the BSMI. Referencing NSF 61, the new CNS 8088 includes the test procedure for metal pollutant release in its appendix. The move is expected to upgrade domestic testing techniques on faucets. With regard to the release of metal pollutants, the Q value of lead released must not exceed 5 ug/L (5ppb) for safety reasons. Also, materials used for making drinking water faucets must contain less than 0.25% of lead by weight. The drinking water faucets should be labelled with a "LF(lead free)" Mark by a non-easily removable way. Last but not least, the outer packaging must contain words "drinking water" for identification.
Drinking water faucets must comply with the inspection items regarding "non-organic pollutant release," "insulation performance (for those with electric switch)," "materials" and "label" in CNS 8088. From Jan 1, 2017, for drinking water faucets imported or released from domestic production premises, a registration of product certification will be required and a Commodity Inspection Mark with a R-initial number should be labelled on each faucet. Manufacturers or importers can also first obtain type approval, then label the faucets with a Commodity Inspection Mark with a C-initial number following the accomplishment of the batch-by-batch inspection. According to Article 60 of the Commodity Inspection Act, violators shall be imposed with a fine between NTD 200,000 and NTD 2,000,000.
The Bureau urges the public to purchase faucets that come with a Commodity Inspection Mark, a LF Mark and an outer packaging labelled with "drinking water" beginning January 1, 2017 to ensure drinking safety. For more information, please visit the BSMI site at http://www.bsmi.gov.tw.
Contact person: Ms. Suh-chyin Chuang
Spokeperson and Deputy Director General of BSMI
Telephone: 02-2341-2855
Mobile: 0934-022-921