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Is Maryland Looking Lead Free?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Hot on the porch steps of the State of California's low lead legislation, Maryland's House of Representatives has drafted House Bill 357, a lead-free facsimile of California statute AB 1953, which dramatically reduces lead content in piping and fittings that deliver water for human consumption.
Entitled, Business Occupations and Professions – Plumbers – Lead-Free Material, the draft legislation requires piping and fittings for portable water delivery to be "Lead-Free", which is defined as containing no more than 0.25% lead, as calculated by a weighted average of those surfaces that come in contact with water. The Bill, awaiting a hearing on February 17, will go into law January 1, 2011 if enacted.
One can't help but think Maryland's legislature has been motivated by the bad press its' next door neighbor, Washington, D.C., has recently received over possible health affects, on some of it's children, due to excessive lead levels found in their water system years prior.
As the D.C. story continues to play out very publicly (and emotionally) through local media outlets and the Internet, it perhaps has not escaped the attention of neighboring elected officials. Regardless of its' origin, safer drinking water is good policy, and good news for residents of Maryland.
For updates on the Maryland lead-free initiative as well as other pertinent lead-related initiatives, why not make it easy on yourself and bookmark our website. While you're at it, check out Maryland's update on our Lead Laws page.
And remember, we're current (HB 357 was just introduced less than two weeks ago), we're relevant and we're informative on the issues that concern you, your business, your family and your community.
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