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
- Enterococci
- Escherichia coli
- Guidance on the Use of Heterotrophic Plate Counts in Canadian Drinking Water Supplies
- Total Coliforms
Chemical/Physical Parameters
- Aluminum
- Ammonia
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Asbestos
- Atrazine
- Barium
- Benzene
- Benzo[a]pyrene
- Boron
- Bromate
- Bromoxynil
- Cadmium
- Calcium
- Carbon tetrachloride
- Chloramines
- Chloride
- Chlorine
- Chlorite and chlorate
- Chlorophenols
- Chlorpyrifos
- Chromium
- Colour
- Copper
- Cyanide
- Cyanobacterial toxins
- Dicamba
- Dichlorobenzenes
- Dichloroethane, 1,2
- Dichloroethylene,1,1
- Dichloromethane
- Dichlorophenol,2,4- (see Chlorophenols)
- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4
- Dimethoate and Omethoate
- Dioxane-1,4
- Diquat
- Ethylbenzene (see Toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
- Fluoride
- Formaldehyde
- Glyphosate
- Haloacetic acids
- Hardness
- Iron
- Lead
- Magnesium
- Malathion
- Manganese
- MCPA – (2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic Acid)
- Mercury
- Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE)
- Metribuzine
- Microcystin-LR (see Cyanobacterial toxins)
- N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
- Nitrate/nitrite
- Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)
- Odour
- Pentachlorophenol (see Chlorophenols)
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
- Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
- pH
- Selenium
- Silver
- Sodium
- Strontium
- Sulphate
- Sulphide
- Taste
- Tetrachloroethylene
- Tetrachlorophenol,2,3,4,6- (see Chlorophenols)
- Toluene (see Toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
- Toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes
- Total dissolved solids
- Trichloroethylene
- Trichlorophenol,2,4,6- (see Chlorophenols)
- Trihalomethanes
- Turbidity
- Uranium
- Vinyl chloride
- Xylenes (see Toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
- Zinc
Screening Values
- diazinon
- diuron
- Drinking water screening value for Iodide – Technical Summary
- Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)
- Perchlorate
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Sulfolane
Radiological Parameters
View these similar posts on the WCWC online library for more information.
Health Canada Documents for Public Review & Comment
Health Canada Guidance Documents
Federal Drinking Water Systems
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