Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Vol. 2. Health criteria and other supporting information

The first edition of Guidelines for drinking-water quality, published in 1984-85, was widely used as a basis for setting national standards to ensure the safety of the water supply. For this new edition, all the recommended guideline values have been reviewed and, where necessary, updated in the light of new scientific information. In addition, many drinking-water contaminants not included in the first edition are evaluated. Volume 2 explains how guideline values for drinking-water contaminants are to be used, and defines the criteria used to select the various contaminants in the report. It describes the approaches used in deriving guideline values, and presents brief summary statements either supporting the guideline values recommended or explaining why no health-based guideline value is required at the present time. The guideline values recommended are not mandatory limits.