Comparison Chart of Drinking Water

________Standards from around the World

All values are in units of mg/L

unless stated otherwise

Parameter

Guidelines for Canadian

1
Drinking Water Quality

MACa

AO [or OG]b

National Primary
Drinking Water
2
Regulations (USA)

MCL 1c

MCL 2d

Acrylamide
Adipate
Alachor
Aldicarb
Aldrin and Dieldrin
Aluminum
Ammonium
Antimony
Arsenic
Atrazine
Azinphos-methyl
Barium
Bendiocarb
Benzene
Benzo[a]pyrene
Beryllium
Boron
Bromate
Bromodichloromethane (BDCM)
Bromoform
Bromoxynil
Cadmium
Carbaryl
Carbofuran
Carbon tetrachloride
Chloramines--total
Chlorate
Chlordane
Chloride
Chlorite
Chloriforms, total
Chloroform

0.4
0.002
0.007

0.009
0.0007
[0.1/0.2]
0.006
0.01
0.005
0.02
1.0
0.04
0.005
0.00001

Guideline
Value

Parametric
Value

0.0005

0.0001

0.05 - 0.2

0.2
0.5
0.005
0.01

0.006
0.05
0.003

0.02
0.01
0.002

2.0

0.7

0.005
0.0002
0.004

0.01
0.0007

0.001
0.00001

0.5
0.01
0.06
0.1

1.00
0.01

0.005

0.003

0.005

0.04
0.005

0.007
0.004

0.002

0.7
0.0002

250

250

1.0
None detectable
per 100mL

Drinking
Water
Directives
(EU)4

0.02
0.01
0.00003

5.0
0.01
0.016
0.005
0.005
0.09
0.09
0.005
3.0
1.0

WHO
Guidelines
for Drinking
Water
Quality3

250
0.7

Less than 1
per 100 mL

0.3

Chlorotoluron
Chlorpyrifos
Chromium
Colour
Copper
Cyanazine
Cyanide
Cyanobacterial toxins
Diazinon
Dicamba
1,2-Dichlorobenzene
1,4-Dichlorobenzene
1,2-Dichloroethane
1,1-Dichloroethylene
Dichloromethane
2,4-Dichlorophenol
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

0.09
0.05

0.1
15 TCU
1.0

0.01
0.2
0.0015
0.02
0.12
0.2
0.005
0.005
0.014
0.05
0.9
0.1

0.03
0.03
0.05

1.3

1.0

0.2

0.003
0.001

0.6
0.075
0.005
0.007

1.0
0.3
0.03

0.05

0.003

0.02
0.0003
0.07

0.03
0.001
0.008
0.05
0.04

DDT and metabolites

0.006
0.07
0.005

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate

1,2-Dichloroethylene
1,2-Dichloropropane
Diclofop-methyl
Dimethoate
Dinoseb
1,4-Dioxane
Diquat
Diuron
Edetic acid (EDTA)
Endothall
Endrin
Epichlorohydrin
Ethylbenzene
Fenoprop
Fluoride
Glyphosate
Haloacetic Acids-Total (HAAs)
Heptachlor
Heptachlor epoxide
Hexachlorobenzene
Hexachlorobutadiene
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene
Hydrogen ion concentration
Iron
Isoproturon
Lead
Lindane
Malathion

2.0
0.0006
0.07

0.05
Inoffensive
2.0

0.009
0.02
0.01

0.006
0.007
0.05

0.07
0.15

0.02
0.6
0.1
0.002
0.0024

1.5
0.28
0.08

0.7
4
0.7

2.0

0.0006
0.0004
0.3
0.009
1.5

0.0001

1.5

0.0004
0.0002
0.001
0.0006
0.05
6.5 and 9.5

0.3
0.01
0.19

0.3
0.015
0.0002

0.2
0.009
0.01
0.002

0.01

Manganese
Mercury
Methoxychlor
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether
Metolachlor
Metribuzin
Microcystin-LR
Molinate
Molybdenum
Monochloroacetate

0.05
0.001
0.9

0.05
0.002
0.04

0.4
0.006
0.02

0.015
0.05
0.08

0.01
0.001
0.006
0.07
0.02

Monochlorobenzene
N -Nitrosodimethylamine
Nickel

0.08

Nitrate
Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)
Nitrite
Odour
Oxamyl (Vydate)
Paraquat (as dichloride)
Parathion
Pendimethalin
Pentachlorophenol
Permethrin
Pesticides
pH
Phorate
Picloram

45
0.4

0.03

0.1
0.0001
0.07
50
0.2
3

0.1
10
1
Inoffensive

0.5
Inoffensive

0.2

0.06

0.030

0.02
0.009
0.3

0.001

0.0001
6.5-8.5
0.002
0.19

6.5-8.5
0.5
0.0005
0.0001

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Tetrachloroethylene
2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol
Thallium
Toluene
Total dissolved solids (TDS)
Toxaphene

0.02
50

0.01
0.05

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Pyriproxyfen
Selenium
Silver
Simazine
Sodium
Styrene
Sulphate
Sulphide (as H2S)
Taste
Temperature
Terbufos
Terbuthylazine

0.05
0.001

0.01

0.3
0.01

0.05

0.01

0.1
0.01

0.004

0.002

0.1

0.02

200

200

500
0.05
Inoffensive
15C

250

250
Inoffensive

0.001
0.03
0.1

0.007
0.04

0.005
0.001
0.024
500

0.002
1.0

500
0.7
500

0.003

0.01

0.2
0.02
0.2

Trichloroacetate
Trichloroethylene
2,4,6-Trichlorophenol
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
Trifluralin
Trihalomethanes-total
Trutuim
Turbidity
Uranium
Vinyl chloride
Xylenes--total
Zinc

a
b
c
d

0.005
0.005

0.005
0.002
0.002

0.045
0.1
7000 Bq/L
0.1-1.0 NTU
0.0s
0.002

0.02
0.1
10000 Bq/L

0.1
100 Bq/l
Inoffensive

0.015
0.0003
0.5

0.0005

0.5-1.0 NTU

0.3
5.0

10
5.0

Maximum Acceptable Concetration - guideline is health-based

Aesthetic Objective [or Operational Guidance Value] - based on aethetic or opperational considerations
Primary Maximum Contaminant Level - regulation is health-based
Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level - regulation is based on aethetic considerations

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water. (2008). Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality
Summarty Table. Health Canada.
-This document in pdf format can be viewed at
http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/alt_formats/hecs-sesc/pdf/pubs/water-eau/sum_guide-res_recom/summary-sommaire-eng.pdf
2

Edstrom Industries. (2003). Drinking Water Quality Standards. Retreived from

http://www.edstrom.com/Resources.cfm?doc_id=167

-This document in pdf format can be viewed at http://www.edstrom.com/DocLib/MI4171.pdf

World Health Organization. (2008). Drinking Water Quality: Third Edition incorporating the First and Second Addenda,
Volume 1: Recommendations. Geneva.

0.01

-This document in pdf format can be viewed at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/fulltext.pdf

Council of the European Union. (1998). Council Directive 98/83/EC on the Quality of Water Intended for Human

Consumption. Retreived from

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31998L0083:EN:NOT
-This document in pdf format can be viewed at
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:1998:330:0032:0054:EN:PDF