WDK: Seals testing issues threaten drinking-water supply in Germany

Frankfurt, Germany – The German rubber industry association (WDK) has raised concerns over a lack of suitable criteria for compliance testing of drinking-water seals in Europe.

In a statement 29 Oct, WDK said German manufacturers are currently facing new regulatory requirements that do not provide clear guidance on EU compliance requirements.

While "drinking-water seals must be certified, the European Drinking Water Regulation does not specify any suitable test bases,” explained WDK chief chemist Volker Krings.

A revision of the new regulation has failed so far and with lack of action on the part of German authorities, “there is no uniform, documented test procedure," noted Krings.

As a result, he warned that Germany may face a shortage of legally compliant seals, threatening the drinking water supply in the medium term.

Without standardised procedures, the existing certification processes are “completely non-transparent and arbitrary for the paying industry,” he said,

Moreover, test certificates are sometimes not mutually recognised, according to the WDK official.

WDK has, therefore, proposed that essential test parameters must be legally stated on certificates to enable mutual recognition of test reports and certificates across EU countries.

Further complications stem from the “expiration date for chemicals” requirement, introduced by the EU Commission, the association's statement continued.

Chemicals on the European Chemicals Agency’s positive list must be regularly evaluated, Krings pointed out.

And, he said, if no company undertakes this costly process, the chemical “loses its approval and products disappear from the market.”

Therefore, the WDK chemist said it was “essential” to abolish the expiration date for listed raw materials and have a simplified procedure for adding a substance to the positive list.

Another issue affecting German-based manufacturers is the KTW guideline in Germany, which establishes standards for materials in contact with drinking water, such as plastics and elastomers.

According to Krings, the guideline has created “an exorbitantly increased effort” for testing and certification that requires "completely impractical values and clearly exceed the cost-benefit ratio.”

And, while German companies face strict national requirements, non-compliant products from other EU states can still enter the market due to lack of market surveillance, concluded Krings.