Standard
WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
The international reference framework from which most national drinking water standards derive. It sets health-based guideline values and, more importantly, establishes the water safety plan approach of managing risk across the whole supply chain rather than testing the final product.
Key facts
- Jurisdiction
- International
- Legal status
- Guidance — not law in any jurisdiction
- Effective
- 2022 (fourth edition, third addendum)
What it covers
- Microbial guidelines and the water safety plan framework
- Chemical guideline values with documented health-based derivations
- Radiological guidance
- Acceptability: taste, odour and appearance
Related intelligence
Sources
- World Health Organization — Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. Public but restricted · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- European Commission — Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184 and reporting. Open — attribution required · European Commission reuse policy (Decision 2011/833/EU)
- Drinking Water Inspectorate — Drinking water quality in England and Wales. Open — attribution required · Open Government Licence v3.0