Health Canada Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality

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Guidelines are established based on current, published scientific research related to health effects, aesthetic effects, and operational considerations. Guidelines (maximum acceptable concentrations or treatment goals) are based on a comprehensive review of the known health effects associated with each contaminant, on exposure levels and on the availability of treatment and analytical technologies. Aesthetic objectives (e.g., for taste or odour) are provided when they play a role in determining whether consumers will consider the water drinkable. Operational guidance values are provided when a substance may interfere with or impair a treatment process or technology (e.g., turbidity interfering with chlorination or UV disinfection) or adversely affect drinking water infrastructure (e.g., corrosion of pipes) (Health Canada, 2022).

Health Canada publishes guidelines and other information on the website Drinking water quality in Canada.


Guidelines


Technical Documents

Microbiological Parameters
Bacteriological Quality
Chemical/Physical Parameters
Screening Values
Radiological Parameters

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