Hi all…do you want to know how guidelines/standards in your jurisdiction compare to those of the WHO? Well the WHO has recently revised several drinking water related guidelines and they are all available for free download as indicated below.

And on the topic of drinking water guidelines, Health Canada has one active request for public consultation. It’s worth a look as it proposes the MAC for total lead be lowered to 0.005 mg/L (5 µg/L). Comments due Mar 15:

http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/lead-drinking-water-plomb-eau-potable/index-eng.php?_ga=1.45405668.1730560475.1487958289

Bill

Publication of the Guidelines for drinking-water quality, fourth edition incorporating the first addendum.

WHO’s Guidelines for drinking-water quality (GDWQ) provide an international reference point for the setting of national or regional regulations and standards for drinking-water quality to protect public health. This first addendum updates the fourth edition of the GDWQ to reflect new evidence and provide additional explanations to support better understanding and application of the guidance.

http://www.who.int/entity/water_sanitation_health/publications/drinking-water-quality-guidelines-4-including-1st-addendum/en/index.html

Publication of Water quality and health: review of turbidity

Intended for regulators and operators of drinking-water supplies, this technical brief provides information on the uses and significance of turbidity in source water and drinking-water. Information is provided on the implications of turbidity for water safety at each step of the water supply chain, alongside practical guidance on the measurement and monitoring of turbidity in source and drinking-waters.

http://www.who.int/entity/water_sanitation_health/publications/turbidity-technical-brief/en/index.html

Publication of chemical background documents for the development of the Guidelines for drinking-water quality

WHO has recently published new or revised background documents for selected chemical hazards in drinking-water, which informed the development of the recently published first addendum to the fourth edition of the WHO’s GDWQ. These chemicals include (click on the hyperlink for more information): barium; bentazone; chlorine dioxide, chlorate and chlorite; dichlorvos; dicofol; diquat; lead; MCPA; nitrate and nitrite; and perchlorate.

For further guidance on chemical hazards in drinking-water, visit: http://who.int/water_sanitation_health/water-quality/guidelines/chemicals/en/