NSF & NSF Certification

NSF & NSF Certification

NSF & NSF Certification

NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) is the trusted authority for health standards, testing, certification, consulting and training for food, water, health products, and the environment.

NSF Mark is one of the most recognised certification marks worldwide in ensuring public health, safety and environmental quality.

Quality filters are often certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) under standards such as NSF/ANSI 42, 53, and 401.

NSF Certification

NSF Certified means that the filter has been tested and certified against strict public health standards and demonstrates the reassurance and technical expertise for consumers, industry and regulators. These certifications ensure the filter's effectiveness in reducing specific contaminants like chlorine, lead, and cysts.

NSF International

NSF International is The Public Health and Safety Company™, providing public health and safety risk management solutions to companies, governments and consumers around the world.

Since 1944, NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has been committed to making the world a safer place for consumers. For more than 60 years, NSF has been the trusted third-party testing organization for product manufacturers that deliver and treat drinking water.

NSF Standards are recognised by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the equivalent organisation in the European Community, the Dutch Council for Certification (RvC). NSF has also received the distinction of being appointed a Registrar for the International Standards Organization (ISO) and a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Water Safety and Treatment.

Look for the NSF Mark / NSF-Certified or NSF-Listed water filter

The NSF Mark is your assurance that the product has been tested and certified, and that the product meets requirements of strict public health standards. The NSF Mark conveys that an independent, third-party organization (NSF) has determined that the product complies with the relevant Standard. The end result for you: assurance that the system will do what it says it will do.

For a system to become NSF certified, it must meet the following requirements:

  • Contaminant reduction claims are true;
  • The system does not add anything harmful to the water;
  • The system is structurally sound;
  • Advertising, literature and labelling are not misleading;
  • The materials and production processes don't change, giving you consistent product quality over time.

After NSF certifies or lists the product, NSF authorises the manufacturer of the product to use the NSF Mark on or in connection with the sale, use or distribution of that product.

NSF Standards 42 & 53 for Filter System Contaminant Reduction

These two standards are identical in their requirements for everything except contaminant reduction claims.

NSF/ANSI Standard 42:

  • Is for aesthetic claims on microbiologically safe water only;
  • Covers point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) systems designed to reduce specific aesthetic or non-health-related contaminants (chlorine, taste and odour, and particulates) that may be present in public or private drinking water;
  • The most common technology addressed by Standard 42 is carbon filtration;
  • Chlorine reduction is broken down into classes that represent a certain level of Chlorine removal:
  1. Class I - 75% or greater Chlorine reduction
  2. Class II - 50% - 74% Chlorine reduction
  3. Class III - 25% - 49% Chlorine reduction
  • Particulate removal means the system removes particles of a certain size based on the following classes:
  1. Class I - Reduces 85% of particles 0.5 to < 1 microns in size
  2. Class II - Reduces 85% of particles 1 to < 5 microns in size
  3. Class III - Reduces 85% of particles 5 to < 15 microns in size
  4. Class IV - Reduces 85% of particles 15 to < 30 microns in size
  5. Class V - Reduces 85% of particles 30 to < 50 microns in size
  6. Class VI - Reduces 85% of particles equal to or greater than 50 microns in size.

NSF/ANSI Standard 53:

  • Is for health claims on microbiologically safe water only;
  • Addresses point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) systems designed to reduce specific health-related contaminants, such as lead, cyst, VOCs, turbidity, pesticides and herbicides, trihalomethanes (THM's) etc., that may be present in public or private drinking water;
  • The most common technology addressed by Standard 53 is carbon filtration;
  • Some products fall under the scope of both Standards 42 and 53 because they claim a combination of aesthetic and health claims;
  • Lead reduction demonstrates the system's ability to reduce the concentration of lead below the U.S. EPA Maximum Contaminant Level;
  • Cysts reduction indicates the system reduces the concentration of parasitic cysts by at least 99.95%. The cysts included in this claim are Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Toxoplasma and Entamoeba;
  • V.O.C. reduction means the system reduces the concentration of all of the following contaminants: Alachlor; Atrazine; Benzene; Carbofuran; Chlorobenzene; 2,4-D; o- dichlorobenzene; p-dichlorobenzene; Lindane ect. Some of these chemicals can be tested individually for performance claims;
  • Turbidity reduction means the system removes fine particulate matter that makes water appear cloudy to a level below the U.S. EPA Maximum Contaminant Level.

Most claims under both Standards 42 and 53 can be divided into two categories:

Chemical Reduction: includes chlorine, VOC (Volatile Organic Chemicals), pesticides, herbicides and metals

Mechanical Reduction: includes cyst, turbidity, asbestos and particulate More information available on www.nsf.org