Comparative Drinking Water Quality Standards
| Category | Indicators | Unit of Measurement | Technical Regulation of Drinking Water N58, 15.01.2014 |
EU Directive (2020/2184) | USA SDWA | Japan Water Act |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry, Organoleptics | Odor | points | 2 | Acceptable to consumers | 3 (Threshold Odor Number) | Not abnormal |
| Taste | points | 2 | Acceptable to consumers | Not regulated | Not abnormal | |
| Color | degrees | 15 | Acceptable to consumers | 15 (Color Units) | 5 degrees | |
| Turbidity 1 | NTU (Formazin) | 3.5 | Acceptable to consumers | 1 NTU (Treatment Technique) | 2 degrees | |
| Turbidity 2 | mg/L (Kaolin) | 2 | Acceptable to consumers | 1 NTU (Treatment Technique) | 2 degrees | |
| Chemistry, Non-Organoleptic | Hydrogen Index | pH | 6 - 9 | 6.5–9.5 (Indicator) | 6.5–8.5 (Secondary) | 5.8–8.6 |
| Permanganate oxidizability | mg O₂/L | 3.0 | 5.0 | Not regulated | 3.0 (as TOC) | |
| Total mineralization (dry residue) | mg/L | 1000-1500 | Not regulated | 500 (Secondary) | 500 | |
| Chemistry, Affects Organoleptics | Sulfates (SO₄²⁻) | mg/L | 250 | 250 (Indicator) | 250 (Secondary) | Not regulated |
| Chlorides (Cl⁻) | mg/L | 250 | 250 (Indicator) | 250 (Secondary) | 200 | |
| Petroleum products, total | mg/L | 0.1 | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Anionic surfactants | mg/L | 0.5 | Not regulated | 0.5 (Foaming agents) | 0.2 | |
| Hardness | mg-eq/L | 7-10 | Not regulated | Not regulated | 300 (mg/L) | |
| Calcium (Ca) | mg/L | 140 | Not regulated | Not regulated | 300 (as Ca+Mg, mg/L) | |
| Magnesium (Mg) | mg/L | 85 | Not regulated | Not regulated | 300 (as Ca+Mg, mg/L) | |
| Sodium (Na) | mg/L | 200 | 200 (Indicator) | Not regulated | 200 | |
| Zinc (Zn²⁺) | mg/L | 3.0 | Not regulated | 5 (Secondary) | 1.0 | |
| Iron (Fe, total) | mg/L | 0.3 | 0.2 (Indicator) | 0.3 (Secondary) | 0.3 | |
| Organic Substances | Total pesticides content | mg/L | 0.05 | 0.0005 (Total) | Pesticide specific | Not regulated |
| Inorganic Substances | Barium (Ba²⁺) | mg/L | 0.7 | Not regulated | 2 | Not regulated |
| Boron (B, total) | mg/L | 0.5 | 1.5 | Not regulated | 1.0 | |
| Arsenic (As, total) | mg/L | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | |
| Mercury (Hg, inorganic) | mg/L | 0.006 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.0005 | |
| Cadmium (Cd, total) | mg/L | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.003 | |
| Manganese (Mn, total) | mg/L | 0.4 | 0.05 (Indicator) | 0.05 (Secondary) | 0.05 | |
| Molybdenum (Mo, total) | mg/L | 0.07 | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Nickel (Ni, total) | mg/L | 0.07 | 0.02 | Not regulated | 0.02 (Target Value) | |
| Nitrates (as NO₃⁻) | mg/L | 50 | 50 | 10 (as N) | 10 (as N) | |
| Nitrites (as NO₂⁻) | mg/L | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1 (as N) | 0.04 (as N) | |
| Selenium (Se, total) | mg/L | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.01 | |
| Copper (Cu, total) | mg/L | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 (Action Level) | 1.0 | |
| Lead (Pb, total) | mg/L | 0.01 | 0.005 | 0.015 (Action Level) | 0.01 | |
| Fluorides (F⁻) | mg/L | 0.7 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 0.8 | |
| Chromium (Cr⁶⁺) | mg/L | 0.05 | 0.025 (Total) | 0.1 (Total) | 0.05 | |
| Antimony (Sb) | mg/L | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.006 | 0.02 (Target Value) | |
| Cyanides (CN⁻) | mg/L | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.2 | 0.01 | |
| Disinfection | Chlorine, residual free | mg/L | 0.3 - 0.5 | Not regulated | 4.0 (MRDL) | >0.1 |
| Chlorine, residual combined | mg/L | 0.8 - 1.2 | Not regulated | 4.0 (as Chloramine) | >0.4 | |
| Chloroform (from water chlorination) | mg/L | 0.3 | 0.1 (Total THMs) | 0.08 (Total THMs) | 0.06 | |
| Ozone, residual | mg/L | 0.3 | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Aluminum (Al³⁺) | mg/L | 0.1 | 0.2 (Indicator) | 0.05-0.2 (Secondary) | 0.2 | |
| Formaldehyde | mg/L | 0.05 | Not regulated | Not regulated | 0.08 | |
| Acrylamide | mg/L | 0.0005 | 0.0001 | TT (Treatment Technique) | Not regulated | |
| Activated silicic acid (as Si) | mg/dm³ | 10 | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Polyphosphates (as PO₄³⁻) | mg/L | 3.5 | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Epidemiology | Mesophilic aerobes and facultative anaerobes at 37°C | CFU/mL | 20 | Not regulated | Not regulated | 100 |
| Mesophilic aerobes and facultative anaerobes at 22°C | CFU/mL | 100 | Acceptable to consumers | Not regulated | 100 | |
| Total coliform bacteria | Count/300mL | Not allowed | Not regulated | TT (Based on E.coli) | Not regulated | |
| E. coli | Count/300mL | Not allowed | 0/100mL | 0 | Not to be detected | |
| Pathogenic microorganisms | Count/100mL | Not allowed | 0/100mL | TT (for viruses) | Not regulated | |
| Coliphages | PFU/100mL | Not allowed | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | Count/250mL | Not allowed | 0/250mL (bottled water) | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Streptococcus faecalis | Count/250mL | Not allowed | 0/100mL (as Enterococci) | Not regulated | Not regulated | |
| Giardia cysts | cysts/50L | Not allowed | Not regulated | TT (99.9% removal) | Not regulated | |
| Entamoeba histolytica cysts | cysts/50L | Not allowed | Not regulated | Not regulated | Not regulated |
