1/30/2014

WHO's drinking water standards

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Home > Applications > Drinking water > Drinking water standards > WHO's drinking-water standards

WHO's drinking water standards 1993

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Drinking water
standards
WHO's drinking-water

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

Symbol/
formula

Periodic table

Aluminium

Al

Calculators

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

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Normally found Health based

in fresh
guideline by
water/surface the WHO
water/ground
water

standards

0,2 mg/l

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0,01 mg/l

Asbestos

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fax: +31 15 261 62 89
e-mail: info@lenntech.com

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

250 mg/l

Chromium

Cr+3 , Cr+6 < 2 g/l

0,05 mg/l

Colour

Not mentioned

Copper

Cu

2 mg/l

Cyanide

CN-

0,07 mg/l

Dissolved
oxygen

O2

No guideline

Fluoride

Hardness

mg/l
CaCO 3

No guideline

Hydrogen
sulfide

H2 S

No guideline

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

NO 3 , NO 2

< 1,5 mg/l (up

to 10)

0,5 - 50 mg/l

1,5 mg/l

No guideline

50 mg/l total
nitrogen

Turbidity

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

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< 20 mg/l

WHO's drinking water standards

Sodium

Na

Sulfate

SO 4

500 mg/l

Inorganic tin

Sn

No guideline

TDS

200 mg/l

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

Carbon tetrachloride

C Cl4

2 g/l

Dichloromethane

C H2 Cl2

20 g/l

1,1-Dichloroethane

C 2 H4 Cl2

No guideline

1,2-Dichloroethane

Cl CH2 CH2 Cl

30 g/l

1,1,1-Trichloroethane

CH3 C Cl3

2000 g/l

1,1-Dichloroethene

C 2 H2 Cl2

30 g/l

1,2-Dichloroethene

C 2 H2 Cl2

50 g/l

Trichloroethene

C 2 H Cl3

70 g/l

Tetrachloroethene

C 2 Cl4

40 g/l

Benzene

C 6 H6

10 g/l

Toluene

C 7 H8

700 g/l

Xylenes

C 8 H10

500 g/l

Ethylbenzene

C 8 H10

300 g/l

Styrene

C 8 H8

20 g/l

Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

C 2 H3 N1 O 5 P 1 3

0.7 g/l

Monochlorobenzene (MCB)

C 6 H5 Cl

300 g/l

Dichlorobenzenes
(DCBs)

1,2-Dichlorobenzene
(1,2-DCB)

C 6 H4 Cl2

1000 g/l

1,3-Dichlorobenzene
(1,3-DCB)

C 6 H4 Cl2

No guideline

1,4-Dichlorobenzene
(1,4-DCB)

C 6 H4 Cl2

300 g/l

Trichlorobenzenes (TCBs)

C 6 H3 Cl3

20 g/l

Di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA)

C 22 H42 O 4

80 g/l

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)

C 24 H38 O 4

8 g/l

Acrylamide

C 3 H5 N O

0.5 g/l

Epichlorohydrin (ECH)

C 3 H5 Cl O

0.4 g/l

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD)

C 4 Cl6

0.6 g/l

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)

C 10 H12 N2 O 8

200 g/l

Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)

N(CH2 COOH)3

200 g/l

Organotins

Dialkyltins

R2 Sn X2

No guideline

Tributil oxide (TBTO)

C 24 H54 O Sn 2

2 g/l

Chlorinated
ethenes

Aromatic
hydrocarbons

Chlorinated
benzenes

Miscellaneous
organic
constituents

Pesticides
Substance

Formula

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Health based
guideline by the
WHO

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WHO's drinking water standards

WHO
Alachlor

C 14 H20 Cl N O 2

20 g/l

Aldicarb

C 7 H14 N2 O 4 S

10 g/l

Aldrin and dieldrin

C 12 H8 Cl6 /

0.03 g/l

C 12 H8 Cl6 O
Atrazine

C 8 H14 Cl N5

2 g/l

Bentazone

C 10 H12 N2 O 3 S

30 g/l

Carbofuran

C 12 H15 N O 3

5 g/l

Chlordane

C 10 H6 Cl8

0.2 g/l

Chlorotoluron

C 10 H13 Cl N2 O

30 g/l

DDT

C 14 H9 Cl5

2 g/l

1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane

C 3 H5 Br2 Cl

1 g/l

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

C 8 H6 Cl2 O 3

30 g/l

1,2-Dichloropropane

C 3 H6 Cl2

No guideline

1,3-Dichloropropane

C 3 H6 Cl2

20 g/l

1,3-Dichloropropene

CH3 CHClCH2 Cl

No guideline

Ethylene dibromide (EDB)

Br CH2 CH2 Br

No guideline

Heptachlor and heptachlor

epoxide

C 10 H5 Cl7

0.03 g/l

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)

C 10 H5 Cl7 O

1 g/l

Isoproturon

9 g/l
C 12 H18 N2 O

Lindane

C 6 H6 Cl6

2 g/l

MCPA

C 9 H9 Cl O 3

2 g/l

Methoxychlor

(C 6 H4 OCH3 )2 CHCCl3

20 g/l

Metolachlor

C 15 H22 Cl N O 2

10 g/l

Molinate

C 9 H17 N O S

6 g/l

Pendimethalin

C 13 H19 O 4 N3

20 g/l

Pentachlorophenol (PCP)

C 6 H Cl5 O

9 g/l

Permethrin

C 21 H20 Cl2 O 3

20 g/l

Propanil

C 9 H9 Cl2 N O

20 g/l

Pyridate

C 19 H23 ClN2 O 2 S

100 g/l

Simazine

C 7 H12 Cl N5

2 g/l

Trifluralin

C 13 H16 F3 N3 O 4

20 g/l

2,4-DB

C 10 H10 Cl2 O 3

90 g/l

Dichlorprop

C 9 H8 Cl2 0 3

100 g/l

Fenoprop

C 9 H7 Cl3 O 3

9 g/l

MCPB

C 11 H13 Cl O 3

No guideline

Mecoprop

C 10 H11 ClO 3

10 g/l

2,4,5-T

C 8 H5 Cl3 O 3

9 g/l

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

Disinfectants and disinfectant by-products

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WHO's drinking water standards

Group

Substance

Formula

Health
based
guideline by
the WHO

Disinfectants

Chloramines

NHn Cl(3-n) ,
where
n = 0,
1 or 2

3 mg/l

Chlorine

Cl2

5 mg/l

Chlorine dioxide

ClO 2

No guideline

Iodine

I2

No guideline

Disinfectant by- Bromate

products

Br O 3 -

25 g/l

Chlorate

Cl O 3 -

No guideline

Chlorite

Cl O 2 -

200 g/l

2-Chlorophenol (2-CP)

C 6 H5 Cl O

No guideline

2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP)

C 6 H4 Cl2 O

No guideline

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6TCP)

C 6 H3 Cl3 O

200 g/l

Formaldehyde

HCHO

900 g/l

MX (3-Chloro-4-dichloromethyl-5-hydroxy-2(5H)furanone)

C 5 H3 Cl3 O 3

No guideline

Trihalomethanes

Bromoform

C H Br3

100 g/l

Dibromochloromethane

CH Br2 Cl

100 g/l

Bromodichloromethane

CH Br Cl2

60 g/l

Chloroform

CH Cl3

200 g/l

C 2 H3 Cl O 2

No guideline

Dichloroacetic acid

C 2 H2 Cl2 O 2

50 g/l

Trichloroacetic acid

C 2 H Cl3 O 2

100 g/l

Chloral hydrate (trichloroacetaldehyde)

C Cl3 CH(OH)2

10 g/l

Chloroacetones

C 3 H5 O Cl

No guideline

Dichloroacetonitrile

C 2 H Cl2 N

90 g/l

Dibromoacetonitrile

C 2 H Br2 N

100 g/l

Chlorophenols

Chlorinated acetic acids Monochloroacetic acid

Halogenated
acetonitriles

Bromochloroacetonitrile CH Cl2 CN

No guideline

Trichloroacetonitrile

C 2 Cl3 N

1 g/l

Cyanogen chloride

Cl CN

70 g/l

Chloropicrin

C Cl3 NO 2

No guideline

Click here for a comparative table of the WHO/EU water standards.

Check here the newer WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality 2006.

Copyright 1998-2014 Lenntech B.V | Email: | Tel. +31 15 261 09 00 | Fax. +31 15 261 62 89

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