Comparison Chart of Drinking Water

________Standards from around the World

WHO
Drinking
National Primary Guidelines
Guidelines for Canadian Water
Drinking Water for Drinking
Drinking Water Quality
1
2
Directives
All values are in units of mg/L Regulations (USA) Water
(EU)4
unless stated otherwise Quality3

Guideline Parametric
MACa AO [or OG]b MCL 1c MCL 2d
Parameter Value Value

Acrylamide 0.0005 0.0001

Adipate 0.4
Alachor 0.002 0.02
Aldicarb 0.009 0.007 0.01
Aldrin and Dieldrin 0.0007 0.00003
Aluminum   [0.1/0.2] 0.05 - 0.2 0.2
Ammonium 0.5
Antimony 0.006 0.006 0.02 0.005
Arsenic 0.01 0.05 0.01 0.01
Atrazine 0.005 0.003 0.002
Azinphos-methyl 0.02
Barium 1.0 2.0 0.7
Bendiocarb 0.04
Benzene 0.005 0.005 0.01 0.001
Benzo[a]pyrene 0.00001 0.0002 0.0007 0.00001
Beryllium 0.004
Boron 5.0 0.5 1.00
Bromate 0.01 0.01 0.01
Bromodichloromethane (BDCM) 0.016 0.06
Bromoform 0.1
Bromoxynil 0.005
Cadmium 0.005 0.005 0.003 0.005
Carbaryl 0.09
Carbofuran 0.09 0.04 0.007
Carbon tetrachloride 0.005 0.005 0.004
Chloramines--total 3.0
Chlorate 1.0 0.7
Chlordane 0.002 0.0002
Chloride   ≤250 250 250
Chlorite 1.0 0.7
Chloriforms, total None detectable Less than 1
per 100mL per 100 mL
Chloroform 0.3
Chlorotoluron 0.03
Chlorpyrifos 0.09 0.03
Chromium 0.05 0.1 0.05 0.05
Colour ≤15 TCU Inoffensive
Copper   ≤1.0 1.3 1.0 2.0 2.0
Cyanazine 0.01 0.0006
Cyanide 0.2 0.2 0.07 0.05
Cyanobacterial toxins 0.0015
Diazinon 0.02
Dicamba 0.12
1,2-Dichlorobenzene 0.2 ≤0.003 0.6 1.0
1,4-Dichlorobenzene 0.005 ≤0.001 0.075 0.3
1,2-Dichloroethane 0.005 0.005 0.03 0.003
1,1-Dichloroethylene 0.014 0.007
Dichloromethane 0.05 0.02
2,4-Dichlorophenol 0.9 ≤0.0003
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid 0.1 0.07 0.03
DDT and metabolites 0.001
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate 0.006 0.008
1,2-Dichloroethylene 0.07 0.05
1,2-Dichloropropane 0.005 0.04
Diclofop-methyl 0.009
Dimethoate 0.02 0.006
Dinoseb 0.01 0.007
1,4-Dioxane 0.05
Diquat 0.07 0.02
Diuron 0.15
Edetic acid (EDTA) 0.6
Endothall 0.1
Endrin 0.002 0.0006
Epichlorohydrin 0.0004 0.0001
Ethylbenzene   ≤0.0024 0.7 0.3
Fenoprop 0.009
Fluoride 1.5 4 2.0 1.5 1.5
Glyphosate 0.28 0.7
Haloacetic Acids-Total (HAAs) 0.08
Heptachlor 0.0004
Heptachlor epoxide 0.0002
Hexachlorobenzene 0.001
Hexachlorobutadiene 0.0006
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene 0.05
Hydrogen ion concentration ≥ 6.5 and ≤ 9.5
Iron   ≤0.3 0.3 0.2
Isoproturon 0.009
Lead 0.01 0.015 0.01 0.01
Lindane 0.0002 0.002
Malathion 0.19
Manganese   ≤0.05 0.05 0.4 0.05
Mercury 0.001 0.002 0.006 0.001
Methoxychlor 0.9 0.04 0.02
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether 0.015
Metolachlor 0.05 0.01
Metribuzin 0.08
Microcystin-LR 0.001
Molinate 0.006
Molybdenum 0.07
Monochloroacetate 0.02
Monochlorobenzene 0.08 ≤0.03 0.1
N -Nitrosodimethylamine 0.0001
Nickel 0.1 0.07 0.02
Nitrate 45 10 50 50
Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 0.4 0.2
Nitrite 1 3 0.5
Odour   Inoffensive Inoffensive
Oxamyl (Vydate) 0.2
Paraquat (as dichloride) 0.01
Parathion 0.05
Pendimethalin 0.02
Pentachlorophenol 0.06 ≤0.030 0.001 0.009
Permethrin 0.3
Pesticides 0.0001
pH 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5
Phorate 0.002
Picloram 0.19 0.5
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 0.0005
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 0.0001
Pyriproxyfen 0.3
Selenium 0.01 0.05 0.01 0.01
Silver 0.1
Simazine 0.01 0.004 0.002
Sodium ≤200 200
Styrene 0.1 0.02
Sulphate ≤500 250 250
Sulphide (as H2S)   ≤0.05
Taste   Inoffensive Inoffensive
Temperature   ≤15°C
Terbufos 0.001
Terbuthylazine 0.007
Tetrachloroethylene 0.03 0.005 0.04 0.01
2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol 0.1 ≤0.001
Thallium 0.002 500
Toluene   ≤0.024 1.0 0.7
Total dissolved solids (TDS)   ≤500 500
Toxaphene 0.003
Trichloroacetate 0.2
Trichloroethylene 0.005 0.005 0.02 0.01
2,4,6-Trichlorophenol 0.005 ≤0.002 0.2
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene 0.002
Trifluralin 0.045 0.02
Trihalomethanes-total 0.1 0.1 0.1
Trutuim 7000 Bq/L 10000 Bq/L 100 Bq/l
Turbidity 0.1-1.0 NTU 0.5-1.0 NTU Inoffensive
Uranium 0.0s 0.015
Vinyl chloride 0.002 0.0003 0.0005
Xylenes--total   ≤0.3 10 0.5
Zinc  ≤5.0 5.0

a
Maximum Acceptable Concetration - guideline is health-based
b
Aesthetic Objective [or Operational Guidance Value] - based on aethetic or opperational considerations
c
Primary Maximum Contaminant Level - regulation is health-based
d
Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level - regulation is based on aethetic considerations

1
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
3
World Health Organization. (2008). Drinking Water Quality: Third Edition incorporating the First and Second Addenda,
Volume 1: Recommendations. Geneva.
-This document in pdf format can be viewed at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/fulltext.pdf
4
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