Piping systems and components in water installations - Health-related requirements

For products and components in contact with drinking water, there are requirements to that the leaching of harmful substances and release of taste and odour into the drinking water do not exceed the permissible limit values.

Approval and certification schemes covering health-related requirements:

• GDV (Approved for Drinking Water): An approval scheme covering products in contact with drinking water in domestic installations. The scheme is administered by the Danish Social and Housing Agency.

New EU legislation

GDV approvals will cease when the regulations, directives and acts of the European Communities for the marketing of products in contact with drinking water are implemented.

EU act on conformity assessment

A new EU regulation under the Drinking Water Directive will soon come into effect and will apply from 1 January 2027. This means that anyone who wishes to market products in contact with drinking water after 1 January 2027 and does not have an approval, must comply with the EU regulation instead of applying for a GDV approval. The GDV Secretariat will continue to issue 5-year approvals until 1 January 2027. Approvals already issued will remain valid until the expiration date.

• DK-VAND: A voluntary certification scheme for pipes, fittings and tanks made from plastic materials used in the supply networks. The scheme is administered by Dancert.
• UBA Attention of Conformity of Product Hygiene Suitability for Drinking Water (AoC): A German certification scheme that includes all products used in drinking water supply and domestic installations. The German Environment Agency, Umweltbundesamt (UBA), has developed evaluation criterias (BWGL) describing the general requirements of the German Drinking Water Ordinance, TrinkwV, for materials in contact with drinking water. Conformity certification can be issued by various certification bodies such as DVGW CERT GmbH, Hy-Cert, OFI CERT, Eurofins Expert Services Oy and Kiwa. An UBA Attestation of Conformity (AoC) also provides access to the Danish market. (Option No. 2)

Legislation and regulations in Denmark and EU

• BEK No. 1007 of 29 June 2016 - Executive Order on the Marketing and Sale of Construction Products in Contact with Drinking Water. Read about it here.

If a building component is to be sold and placed on the market in Denmark, it must be covered by at least one of the following approvals or certificates:

1. A Danish GDV approval
2. An approval according to the German regulations
3. An ATA approval/the KIWA Water Mark from the Netherlands
4. A Swedish type approval issued by either RISE and/or KIWA Sweden

The documentation can cover the building component as a whole or for the wetted sub-components of which the construction product consists of.

• BEK No. 940 of 22 July 2024 - Executive Order on Water Quality and Supervision of Water Supply Systems. Read about it here.

From 1 January 2027, Article 11( Minimum hygiene requirements for materials that come into contact with water intended for human consumption) of Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (the Drinking Water Directive) will enter into force. Understanding the Drinking Water Directive.

Associated with this article are a number of implementing acts, comprising:

• 3 Implementing Decisions (IA)
• 3 Delegated Regulations (DA)

For interpretation, guidance documents have also been published Guidance documents.

You can find the implementing acts here:

• IA: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/365 of 23 January 2024 laying down rules for the application of Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards methodologies for testing and accepting starting substances, compositions and constituents to be included in the European positive lists.
• IA: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/367 of 23 January 2024 laying down rules for the application of Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the European positive lists of starting substances, compositions and constituents authorised for use in the manufacture of materials or products that come into contact with water intended for human consumption
• DA: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/369 of 23 January 2024 supplementing Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council by laying down the procedure regarding inclusion in or removal from the European positive lists of starting substances, compositions and constituents
• IA: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/368 of 23 January 2024 laying down rules for the application of Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the procedures and methods for testing and accepting final materials as used in products that come into contact with water intended for human consumption.
• DA: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/370 of 23 January 2024 supplementing Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council by laying down conformity assessment procedures for products that come into contact with water intended for human consumption and the rules for the designation of conformity assessment bodies involved in those procedures
• DA: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/371 of 23 January 2024 supplementing Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing harmonised specifications for the marking of products that come into contact with water intended for human consumption

Migration test methods for organic materials

For organic materials (release of harmful substances, microbial growth EMG, release of taste and odour) the following standards apply:

• EN 12873: Influence of material on water intended for human consumption Influence due to migration. The standard includes the following parts:

Part 1: Test method for factory-made products made from or incorporated organic or glassy (porcelain/vitreous enamel) materials

Part 2: Test method for non-metallic and non-cementitious site-applied materials

Part 3: Test method for ion exchange and adsorbent resins

Part 4: Test method for water treatment membranes

• EN 1622: Water quality - Determination of the threshold odour number (TON) and threshold flavour number (TFN)
• EN 1420: Influence of material on water intended for human consumption - Determination of odour and flavour assessment of water in piping systems
• EN 16421: Influence of materials on water for human consumption – Enhancement of microbial growth (EMG)

Migration test methods for metallic materials

• EN 15664: Influence of metallic materials on water intended for human consumption - Dynamic rig test for assessment of metal release. The standard includes the following parts:

Part 1: Design and operation

Part 2: Test waters

• EN 16056: Influence of metallic materials on water intended for human consumption – Method to evaluate the passive behaviour of stainless steel and other passive alloys
• EN 16057: Influence of metallic materials on water intended for human consumption – Determination of residual surface lead (Pb) – Extraction method
• EN 16058: Influence of metallic materials on water intended for human consumption – Dynamic rig test for assessment of surface coatings with nickel layers - Long-term test method

NKB Product rules 4, 9, 12, 13, and 18 (only accepted in the Nordic countries and Switzerland).