Assessment of drinking water installations

Our lives rely on clean drinking water. Drinking water quality is about clean groundwater – but it also a matter of the impact on the water from substances hazardous to health when the water is distributed through the supply network and until it is tapped from a water cooler or a tap.

In Denmark the authorities require a toxicological - or health and safety - assessment of all products in contact with drinking water. These products are defined as building components.

Building components for the water supply network made of polymeric materials such as plastic and rubber must be assessed for release of substances that are harmful to health before being put on the market. Materials used to repair or to coat the products must also be assessed.

We can help you with the toxicological assessment for certification of your drinking water materials.

Lise M. Møller

Tel.: +45 4516 9133
lmm@remove-this.dhigroup.remove-this.com

Testing of drinking water installations

Pipes and fittings made of PVC or PE as well as faucets, etc. must be assessed for release of chemical substances, odour and taste to the drinking water. To carry out an assessment, the product must be tested according to its chemical composition. This test must be performed by an accredited test laboratory.

Based on information about the chemical composition of your product, we put together a product-specific test programme for your test laboratory. After completion of the test, we assess the results to clarify if the product meets the regulatory and toxicological requirements for approval.

Blog post: Is the water quality of your network affected by the PVC in plastic pipes?

Test programme

The test programme usually includes tests for release of taste, odour and TOC (Total Organic Carbon) to the drinking water. In addition, products made of coloured rubber that may affect the clarity of the water are tested for their ability to cause turbidity.

The test also covers the release of substances that can be particularly problematic, such as:

phthalates from plasticizers
PAH from the use of the black dye “carbon black”
degradation products, such as phenols, which may be derived from antioxidants

DK-VAND certification or GDV approval

In Denmark there are two schemes for approval or certification of products intended for contact with drinking water:

The DK-VAND certification scheme covers installations from the waterworks to a property boundary
The GDV approval scheme includes installations inside buildings and private households - from the property boundary to the tap, water cooler or other tapping product

GDV is short for ”Godkendt til DrikkeVand” (approved for drinking water). Both the DK-VAND and the GDV schemes require that a toxicological assessment is carried out to obtain an approval or certification.

DHI provides the toxicological expertise for your assessment.

GDV approval with foreign certificate

According to the Danish Executive Order No. 1007 of 29 June 2016, building components may be marketed and sold in Denmark if the component is:

certified in Germany with a DVGW certificate,
approved in the Netherlands with an ATA (Attest Toxicological Aspects) approval/The KIWA Water Mark, or
type approved in Sweden by either RISE or KIWA Sweden

The certification or approval must cover the building component itself. An approval or certification of the material from which the building component is produced is not sufficient.