UBA list – entry into force of alloys compliant with the drinking water directive

The European Directive 98/83/EC, commonly known as the Drinking Water Directive, sets out a series of chemical and microbiological requirements that must be respected in order to ensure the suitability of water for human consumption. Brass, for example, is used for the production of components that come often into contact with drinking water: the main cause of lead contamination is corrosion and, consequently, its released concentration will be drastically reduced thanks to the excellent corrosion resistance of brass.

The common approach for the implementation of a European policy framework (EAS) adopted by 4 Member States, especially by Germany under the authority of the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), consists in providing a positive list of metal materials hygienically suitable for contact with drinking water. The list, denominated HCACL (Hygienic Copper Alloys Composition List) or UBA List, was officialized on 10th April 2015 and contains sections concerning the alloy composition including main constituents as well as impurities. The percentage of lead (Pb) is analyzed as shown below:

*Lead-free brass used for drinking water systems that complies with the requirements of the DIN50916 concerning the corrosion resistance.
** It replaced the CW602N alloy according to 4MS concept.

Our raw material suppliers have already adjusted their production by determining the chemical composition of each alloys to be absolutely applied starting from 10th April 2017. Therefore, the alloys that are not in compliance with the positive list will have to be replaced.

The latest version dated 5th January 2017 is available at the following web address: here