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LEEDuser tip sheets, written by our team of LEED experts, fill gaps in knowledge we’ve observed between the LEED Reference Guide, LEED Online, and LEED Interpretations. We update them regularly so that our members get the most relevant guidance for current issues on their projects.
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Specify substitutes for materials manufactured with lead and cadmium, as follows.
Lead
- For water intended for human consumption, specify and use solder and flux to connect plumbing pipe on site that meets the California AB1953 standard, which specifies that solder not contain more than 0.2% lead, and flux not more than a weighted average of 0.25% lead for wetted surfaces. The “lead free” label as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) does not provide adequate screening for the purposes of this credit because the SDWA defines “lead free” as solders and flux containing 0.2% lead or less.
- For water intended for human consumption, specify and use pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and faucets that meet the California law AB1953 of a weighted average lead content of the wetted surface area of not more than 0.25% lead.
- Specify and use lead-free roofing and flashing.
- Specify and use electrical wire and cable with lead content less than 300 parts per million.
- Specify no use of interior or exterior paints containing lead.
- For renovation projects, ensure the removal and appropriate disposal of disconnected wires with lead stabilizers, consistent with the 2002 National Electric Code requirements.
Cadmium
- Specify no use of interior or exterior paints containing intentionally added cadmium.
Copper
- For copper pipe applications, reduce or eliminate joint-related sources of copper corrosion:
What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
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LEEDuser tip sheets, written by our team of LEED experts, fill gaps in knowledge we’ve observed between the LEED Reference Guide, LEED Online, and LEED Interpretations. We update them regularly so that our members get the most relevant guidance for current issues on their projects.
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Frequently asked questions
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LEEDuser tip sheets, written by our team of LEED experts, fill gaps in knowledge we’ve observed between the LEED Reference Guide, LEED Online, and LEED Interpretations. We update them regularly so that our members get the most relevant guidance for current issues on their projects.
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LEEDuser tip sheets, written by our team of LEED experts, fill gaps in knowledge we’ve observed between the LEED Reference Guide, LEED Online, and LEED Interpretations. We update them regularly so that our members get the most relevant guidance for current issues on their projects.
( does not provide premium access to LEEDuser)
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Specify substitutes for materials manufactured with lead and cadmium, as follows.
Lead
- For water intended for human consumption, specify and use solder and flux to connect plumbing pipe on site that meets the California AB1953 standard, which specifies that solder not contain more than 0.2% lead, and flux not more than a weighted average of 0.25% lead for wetted surfaces. The “lead free” label as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) does not provide adequate screening for the purposes of this credit because the SDWA defines “lead free” as solders and flux containing 0.2% lead or less.
- For water intended for human consumption, specify and use pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and faucets that meet the California law AB1953 of a weighted average lead content of the wetted surface area of not more than 0.25% lead.
- Specify and use lead-free roofing and flashing.
- Specify and use electrical wire and cable with lead content less than 300 parts per million.
- Specify no use of interior or exterior paints containing lead.
- For renovation projects, ensure the removal and appropriate disposal of disconnected wires with lead stabilizers, consistent with the 2002 National Electric Code requirements.
Cadmium
- Specify no use of interior or exterior paints containing intentionally added cadmium.
