NSF International

NSF International, formerly National Sanitation Foundation, is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that develops standards and provides product certification and education in the field of public health and safety.

Serving manufacturers operating in 80 countries, NSF was founded in 1944 and has its headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Application and products

NSF International, often referred to as simply NSF, certifies materials and products for a multitude of applications. One important field of NSF's interest are materials and products that come into contact with drinking water systems components.

NSF Standards are generally accepted standards for a variety of public health related industries and subject areas. These include drinking water treatment and contact materials, food equipment manufacturing and composition, plumbing, refuse containers, and dishwashing equipment. More details can be found at http://www.nsf.org/business/about_NSF/

Standard Development

NSF Standards are developed, maintained, and revised by the committee ballot system, similar to that used by ANSI and ASTM. The committees consist of equal numbers of representatives of groups affected by the scope of the standard. For instance, for Standard 61, Drinking Water Systems Components - Health Effects, the committee is made of manufacturers of plumbing parts, material manufacturers (plastics, metals, etc), toxicologists, state regulatory officials, and the like. Any changes related to testing requirements are vetted through lab testing, and balloting ensures majority rule. sa

Facilities

NSF headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, contains both administrative staff and significant technical labs. All testing for NSF standard compliance is conducted in-house. Lab capabilities include Trace Metals, Microbial, and Organic analysis. For plastics material, NSF has internal capability to injection mould plaques and IZOD bars for testing.

History

NSF International was founded as the National Sanitation Foundation in 1944, as a project of the University of Michigan's School of Public Health.