Faucets are also called faucets. In addition to quality indicators such as water saving, safety, and beauty, the amount of heavy metal precipitation in faucets has become a health and safety indicator that people are most concerned about. The Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision recently spot-checked faucet products and found that the unqualified rate was 100%, and the risk of heavy metals exceeding the standard was high.
Zhejiang Provincial Quality Supervision Bureau and Ningbo Quality Inspection Institute recently conducted a special supervision and spot check on the quality of faucets in Yongkang Hardware City. There are 15 production companies involved, and the places of production include Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian and other 4 places. There are 15 batches of unqualified batches, and the batch unqualified rate is 100%. Among the unqualified products, all items of “material hygiene requirements” were unqualified, 14 batches of “corrosion resistance of coating and plating” items were unqualified, and 10 batches of “marking” items were unqualified.
Unqualified “material hygiene requirements” means that heavy metals are commonly known as exceeding the standard, which will damage the health of consumers. The inspection found that among the products sampled this time, zinc alloy materials were used as the main material of the products actually accounted for 50%. Zinc itself is a heavy metal, and excessive amounts can cause zinc fever. Secondly, products with unqualified “coating and plating corrosion resistance” are easy to rust after use. In addition to affecting the appearance, they may contain toxic components after corrosion. For example, patina has strong toxicity.
It is reported that on December 1, 2014, the faucet standard called “the most stringent in history”-GB18145-2014 “Ceramic Sealing Sheet Faucet Standard” began to be implemented. The new national standard supplements and modifies the existing standards in terms of water-saving performance and quality of faucets. Compared with the original standard, it increases the precipitation limits for 17 metal pollutants such as lead, chromium, arsenic, manganese, and mercury. And as a mandatory clause. Among them, the amount of “lead” that has attracted much attention is specified to be no more than 5 micrograms/liter, which is consistent with the current US standards and is the world’s highest. The new standard applies to faucets of all materials.
Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Quality Supervision reminds consumers that when purchasing faucet products, they should buy qualified products sold in regular channels and produced by regular manufacturers, and it is best to choose products produced according to the new standard after December 1, 2014. Choose a faucet with copper alloy and stainless steel as the main material; the spray surface structure should be fine, smooth and uniform, and there should be no defects such as sagging, bottoming, etc., and there is no burr or grit feeling on the hand; visually inspect the thread surface for obvious dents, broken teeth, etc. For defects, it is recommended to choose thread with wall thickness.