Drinking water standards

Drinking water quality standards describes the quality parameters set for drinking water. Despite
the truism that every human on this planet needs drinking water to survive and that water may
contain many harmful constituents, there are no universally recognized and accepted international
standards for drinking water.[1] Even where standards do exist, and are applied, the permitted
concentration of individual constituents may vary by as much as ten times from one set of standards
to another.
Regulations concerning the quality of the water intended for consumption:

The World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO), set up some guidelines for drinking-water quality
which are the international reference point for standards setting and drinking-water safety.
The latest guidelines drew up by the WHO are those agreed to in Geneva,
.
You will notice that there is no guideline for some of the elements and substances which
are taken into account. This is because there have not been sufficient studies about the
effects of the substance on the organism, and therefore it is not possible to define a
guideline limit. In other cases, the reason for a non-existing guideline is the impossibility of
that substance to reach a dangerous concentration in water, due to its insolubility or its
scarcity.

World health Organisation Guidelines

The World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline for Drinking-water Quality (GDWQ) include the
following recommended limits on naturally occurring constituents that may have direct adverse
health impact:

Arsenic 10g/l

Barium 10g/l

Boron 2400g/l

Chromium 50g/l

Fluoride 1500g/l

Selenium 40g/l

Uranium 30g/l

Organic species:

Benzene 10g/l

Carbon tetrachloride 4g/l

1,2-Dichlorobenzene 1000g/l

1,4-Dichlorobenzene 300g/l

1,2-Dichloroethane 30g/l

1,2-Dichloroethene 50g/l

Dichloromethane 20g/l

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate 8 g/l

1,4-Dioxane 50g/l

Edetic acid 600g/l

Ethylbenzene 300 g/l

Hexachlorobutadiene 0.6 g/l

Nitrilotriacetic acid 200g/l

Pentachlorophenol 9g/l

Styrene 20g/l

Tetrachloroethene 40g/l

Toluene 700g/l

Trichloroethene 20g/l

Xylenes 500g/l

WHO's drinking water standards 1993

WHO's Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, set up in Geneva, 1993, are the
international reference point for standard setting and drinking-water safety.
Element/
substance

Symbol/
formula

Normally
Health based
found in
guideline by
fresh
the WHO
water/surface
water/ground
water

Aluminium

Al

Ammonia

NH4

< 0,2 mg/l (up

to 0,3 mg/l in
anaerobic
waters)

No guideline

Antimony

Sb

< 4 g/l

0.005 mg/l

Arsenic

As

0,2 mg/l

0,01 mg/l

Asbestos

No guideline

Barium

Ba

0,3 mg/l

Berillium

Be

< 1 g/l

No guideline

Boron

< 1 mg/l

0,3 mg/l

Cadmium

Cd

< 1 g/l

0,003 mg/l

Chloride

Cl

Chromium

Cr+3, Cr+6

250 mg/l

< 2 g/l

Colour

0,05 mg/l

Not mentioned

Copper

Cu

2 mg/l

Cyanide

CN-

0,07 mg/l

Dissolvedoxyge O2
n

Fluoride

No guideline

< 1,5 mg/l (up

1,5 mg/l

to 10)

Hardness

mg/lCaCO

No guideline

Hydrogen
sulfide

H2 S

Iron

Fe

Lead

Pb

0,01 mg/l

Manganese

Mn

0,5 mg/l

Mercury

Hg

< 0,5 g/l

0,001 mg/l

Molybdenum

Mb

< 0,01 mg/l

0,07 mg/l

Nickel

Ni

< 0,02 mg/l

0,02 mg/l

Nitrate and
nitrite

NO3, NO2

Turbidity

No guideline

0,5 - 50 mg/l

No guideline

50 mg/l total
nitrogen

Not mentioned

pH

No guideline

Selenium

Se

< < 0,01 mg/l

0,01 mg/l

Silver

Ag

5 50 g/l

No guideline

Sodium

Na

< 20 mg/l

200 mg/l

Sulfate

SO4

500 mg/l

Inorganic tin

Sn

No guideline

TDS

No guideline

Uranium

1,4 mg/l

Zinc

Zn

3 mg/l

Organic compounds

Group

Substance

Formula

Health based
guideline by
the WHO

Chlorinated
alkanes

Chlorinated
ethenes

Aromatic
hydrocarbons

Carbon tetrachloride

C Cl

2 g/l

Dichloromethane

C H Cl

1,1-Dichloroethane

C H Cl

1,2-Dichloroethane

Cl CH CH Cl

30 g/l

1,1,1-Trichloroethane

CH C Cl

2000 g/l

1,1-Dichloroethene

C H Cl

30 g/l

1,2-Dichloroethene

C H Cl

50 g/l

Trichloroethene

C H Cl

70 g/l

Tetrachloroethene

C Cl

40 g/l

Benzene

CH
6

10 g/l

Toluene

CH
7

700 g/l

Xylenes

CH

10

500 g/l

20 g/l

No guideline

Ethylbenzene

CH
8

10

300 g/l

Styrene

CH

20 g/l

Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) C H N O P

2

Chlorinated
benzenes

Miscellaneous
organic
constituents

1 3

0.7 g/l

Monochlorobenzene (MCB)

C H Cl

300 g/l

Dichlorobenzenes
(DCBs)

1,2Dichlorobenzene
(1,2-DCB)

C H Cl

1000 g/l

1,3Dichlorobenzene
(1,3-DCB)

C H Cl

No guideline

1,4Dichlorobenzene
(1,4-DCB)

C H Cl

300 g/l

Trichlorobenzenes (TCBs)

C H Cl

20 g/l

Di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA)

C H O

80 g/l

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)

C H O

8 g/l

22

24

42

38

Acrylamide

CHNO

0.5 g/l

Epichlorohydrin (ECH)

C H Cl O

0.4 g/l

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD)

C Cl

0.6 g/l

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)

C H NO

Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)

N(CH COOH)

Organotins

R Sn X

10

12

200 g/l

Dialkyltins

54

200 g/l

No guideline

Tributil oxide (TBTO) C H O Sn

24

2 g/l

Pesticides

Substance

Formula

Alachlor

C H Cl N O

20 g/l

Aldicarb

CH NOS

10 g/l

14

Health based guideline

by the WHO

20

14

Aldrin and dieldrin

C H Cl /
12

0.03 g/l

C H Cl O
12

Atrazine

C H Cl N

Bentazone

C H NOS
3

30 g/l

Carbofuran

C H NO

5 g/l

Chlordane

C H Cl

Chlorotoluron

C H Cl N O

30 g/l

DDT

C H Cl

2 g/l

1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane

C H Br Cl

1 g/l

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4D)

C H Cl O

1,2-Dichloropropane

C H Cl

No guideline

1,3-Dichloropropane

C H Cl

20 g/l

14

10

12

12

15

10

10

0.2 g/l

13

14

2 g/l

30 g/l

1,3-Dichloropropene

CH CHClCH Cl
2

No guideline

Ethylene dibromide (EDB)

Br CH CH Br

No guideline

Heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide

C H Cl

0.03 g/l

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)

C H Cl O

1 g/l

Isoproturon

C H N O
2

9 g/l

Lindane

C H Cl

2 g/l

MCPA

C H Cl O

Methoxychlor

(C H OCH ) CHCCl

Metolachlor

C H Cl N O

10 g/l

Molinate

CH NOS

6 g/l

Pendimethalin

C H O N

20 g/l

Pentachlorophenol (PCP)

C H Cl O

10

10

18

15

13

12

2 g/l

3 2

22

17

19

20 g/l

9 g/l

Permethrin

C H Cl O

Propanil

C H Cl N O

20 g/l

Pyridate

C H ClN O S

100 g/l

Simazine

C H Cl N

2 g/l

Trifluralin

C H F N O

Chlorophenoxy
2,4-DB
herbicides (excluding
2,4-D and MCPA)

C H Cl O

21

20

19

23

12

13

16

10

20 g/l

10

20 g/l

90 g/l

Dichlorprop

C H Cl 0

100 g/l

Fenoprop

C H Cl O

9 g/l

MCPB

C H Cl O

Mecoprop

C H ClO

2,4,5-T

C H Cl O

11

10

13

11

No guideline

10 g/l

Disinfectants and disinfectant by-products

9 g/l

Group

Substance

Formula

Health
based
guideline
by the
WHO

Disinfectants

Chloramines

NH Cl ,
where
n = 0,
1 or 2

3 mg/l

Chlorine

Cl

5 mg/l

Chlorine dioxide

ClO

Iodine

Bromate

Br O

Chlorate

Cl O

Chlorite

Cl O

Disinfectant
by-products

Chlorophenols

(3-n)

No
guideline

No
guideline

2-Chlorophenol (2-CP)

C H Cl O
6

25 g/l

No
guideline

200 g/l

No

guideline

2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4DCP)

C H Cl O
6

No
guideline

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6- C H Cl O
TCP)
6

200 g/l

Formaldehyde

HCHO

MX (3-Chloro-4-dichloromethyl-5-hydroxy2(5H)-furanone)

C H Cl O

No
guideline

Trihalomethanes

Bromoform

C H Br

100 g/l

Dibromochloromethane

CH Br Cl

100 g/l

Bromodichloromethane

CH Br Cl

60 g/l

Chloroform

CH Cl

Chlorinated acetic
acids

900 g/l

200 g/l

Monochloroacetic acid

C H Cl O

Dichloroacetic acid

C H Cl O

No
guideline

50 g/l

Trichloroacetic acid

C H Cl O
2

100 g/l

Chloral hydrate (trichloroacetaldehyde)

C Cl CH(OH)

Chloroacetones

C H O Cl

No
guideline

Dichloroacetonitrile

C H Cl N

90 g/l

Dibromoacetonitrile

C H Br N

100 g/l

Halogenated
acetonitriles

10 g/l

Bromochloroacetonitrile CH Cl CN

No
guideline

Trichloroacetonitrile

C Cl N

1 g/l

Cyanogen chloride

Cl CN

70 g/l

Chloropicrin

C Cl NO

No
guideline