Water Hygiene Material Testing
Abteilung
Head of Laboratory
Patricia Pacheco Moreno
examination service
KTW
Testing for Suitability for Drinking Water Contact
The quality of water intended for human consumption is regulated in Europe by Directive (EU) 2020/2184 and, at the national level in Germany, by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). These regulations define not only requirements for drinking water itself, but also for the materials and products that come into contact with drinking water during its abstraction, distribution, and storage.
Section 14 of the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) specifies these requirements and stipulates that the materials and products used must:
- not adversely affect human health
- not cause any detrimental changes to the odor or taste of drinking water
- not support or encourage the proliferation of microorganisms
- minimize the release of substances into drinking water
Verification that a product complies with these requirements is carried out in accordance with the assessment criteria and guidelines issued by the German Environment Agency (UBA), as well as the relevant DVGW technical worksheets. In this process, both …
- testing with regard to the promotion of microbial growth on materials and products in accordance with DVGW Technical Worksheet W 270 or DIN EN 16421, as well as
- Migration testing is performed, with subsequent analysis of the defined parameters in the resulting contact water samples.
Further information on migration testing is available here.
Test Laboratory Supporting Certification Bodies
The Hygiene Institute of the Ruhr Region is a recognized laboratory accredited in accordance with DIN EN ISO 17025:2018 for the required hygienic testing related to drinking water. This accreditation confirms our competence to test materials and products used in water supply systems. The test reports and certificates issued on the basis of the relevant assessment criteria, guidelines, and DVGW technical worksheets are recognized by certification bodies such as HyCertand DVGW CERT GmbH.
You can find additional information on certification and our certification body, HyCert, here.
Our Services
We competently conduct hygienic suitability testing for non-metallic materials intended for contact with drinking water. Our range of services includes testing of organic materials, elastomers, silicones, coatings, linings, lubricants, as well as cement-based materials and enamel/ceramic products. In addition, our department offers testing services for factory production control (FPC) in accordance with the German Environment Agency’s recommendation on conformity assessment for the hygienic suitability of products in contact with drinking water.
We continuously support our clients through consulting and professional training services. The following regulations and technical standards constitute the foundation of our testing activities.
Water Hygiene Material Testing
- Evaluation Basis for Enamel and Ceramic Materials
- Evaluation Basis for Plastics and Other Organic Materials (KTW-BWGL), including Plastics, Coatings, Lubricants, Elastomers, and Silicones
- Transitional Recommendation for Silicone Materials
- Transitional Recommendation for Silicone Materials
- Elastomer Guideline
- Factory Production Control (FPC) in accordance with the German Environment Agency’s (UBA) “Recommendation on Conformity Assessment for the Hygienic Suitability of Products in Contact with Drinking Water”
- DIN EN 12873-1 / DIN EN 12873-2
- DIN EN 1420
- DIN EN 1622
- DVGW Worksheet W 347
- OENORM B 5014-1