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Guidelines for drinking-water quality: Fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022.

Cover of Guidelines for drinking-water quality

Guidelines for drinking-water quality: Fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda [Internet].

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ANNEX 1Supporting documentation to the Guidelines

The Guidelines for drinking-water quality are accompanied by separate texts that provide background information substantiating the derivation of the Guidelines and providing guidance on good practice towards effective implementation. These are available as published texts, through the internet (https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/water-sanitation-and-health/water-safety-and-quality/publications). Some of these may also be ordered at https://extranet.who.int/dataformv3/index.php/415855.

Published supporting documents

  • A guide to equitable water safety planning: Ensuring no one is left behind
    • Published in 2019 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides step-by-step guidance and good practice examples on how the WSP approach can bring tangible improvements in water quality and availability for all users.
  • A practical guide to auditing water safety plans
    • Published in 2015 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides guidance on developing and implementing a WSP auditing scheme, including examples, case studies and tools from more than a dozen low-, middle- and high-income countries with WSP auditing experience
  • Alternative drinking-water disinfectants: Bromine, iodine and silver
  • Arsenic primer: Guidance on the investigation and mitigation of arsenic contamination
    • Published in 2018 by United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization
    • Provides practical advice for UN agencies, government counterparts and development workers responding to the challenge of arsenic contamination of drinking-water.
  • Assessing microbial safety of drinking water: Improving approaches and methods
    • Edited by A. Dufour et al.
    • Published in 2003 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
    • A state-of-the-art review of approaches and methods used in assessing the microbial safety of drinking-water.
  • Boil water
  • Calcium and magnesium in drinking-water: Public health significance
    • Edited by J. Cotruvo and J. Bartram
    • Published in 2009 by the World Health Organization
    • A review of the contribution of drinking-water to total daily intake of calcium and magnesium, and an assessment of possible health benefits, including reducing cardiovascular disease mortality and osteoporosis.
  • Chemical mixtures in source water and drinking-water
    • Published in 2017 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides an overview of available tools and practical recommendations to support the assessment and management of risks to human health associated with chemical mixtures in drinking-water and its sources.
  • Chemical safety of drinking-water: Assessing priorities for risk management
  • Climate-resilient water safety plans: Managing health risks associated with climate variability and change
    • Published in 2017 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides guidance on how climate considerations can be integrated into water safety planning to provide greater resilience to the current and predicted impacts of climate change and variability on water supplies.
  • Developing drinking-water quality regulations and standards
    • Published in 2018 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides practical guidance to support the development or revision of customized national or subnational drinking-water quality regulations and standards.
  • Domestic water quantity, service level and health, 2nd edition
    • G. Howard et al.
    • Published in 2020 by the World Health Organization
    • Reviews the evidence about the relationships between water quantity, water accessibility and health, providing updated guidance, including recommended targets on domestic water supply to ensure beneficial health outcomes.
  • Evaluating household water treatment options: Health-based targets and microbiological performance specifications
    • J. Brown and M. Sobsey
    • Published in 2011 by the World Health Organization
    • Establishes health-based targets and testing protocols for point-of-use water treatment approaches, including to inform development of country certification programmes.
  • Evaluation of the H2S method for detection of fecal contamination of drinking water
    • M. Sobsey and F. Pfaender
    • Published in 2002 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides the scientific basis, validity, available data and other information concerning the use of “H2S tests” as measures or indicators of faecal contamination in drinking-water.
  • Fluoride in drinking-water
    • J.K. Fawell et al.
    • Published in 2006 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • Provides information on the occurrence of fluoride in drinking-water, its health effects, ways of reducing excess levels and methods for analysis of fluoride in water.
  • Guide to hygiene and sanitation in aviation, 3rd edition. Module 1: Water; Module 2: Cleaning and disinfection of facilities
    • Published in 2009 by the World Health Organization
    • Addresses water and cleaning and disinfection of facilities with the ultimate goal of assisting all types of airport and aircraft operators and other responsible bodies in achieving high standards of hygiene and sanitation, to protect travellers.
  • Guide to ship sanitation, 3rd edition
  • Hazard characterization for pathogens in food and water: Guidelines
    • Published in 2003 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization
    • A practical framework and structured approach for the characterization of microbial hazards in food and water, to assist governmental and research scientists.
  • Health aspects of plumbing
    • Published in 2006 by the World Health Organization and the World Plumbing Council
    • A description of the processes involved in the design, installation and maintenance of effective plumbing systems and consideration of the microbial, chemical, physical and financial concerns associated with plumbing.
  • Heterotrophic plate counts and drinking-water safety: The significance of HPCs for water quality and human health
    • Edited by J. Bartram et al.
    • Published in 2003 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • Assessment of the role of the heterotrophic plate count measurement in drinking-water safety management.
  • Legionella and the prevention of legionellosis
    • Edited by J. Bartram et al.
    • Published in 2007 by the World Health Organization
    • An overview of the sources, ecology and laboratory detection of Legionella bacteria, risk assessment and risk management of susceptible environments, the necessary measures to prevent or adequately control the risks and the policies and practices for outbreak management.
  • Management of radioactivity in drinking-water
  • Managing water in the home: Accelerated health gains from improved water supply
  • Microplastics in drinking-water
    • Published in 2019 by the World Health Organization
    • Critically examines the evidence related to the occurrence of microplastics in the water cycle (including both tap and bottled drinking-water and its sources), the potential health impacts from microplastic exposure and the removal of microplastics during wastewater and drinking-water treatment.
  • Pathogenic mycobacteria in water: A guide to public health consequences, monitoring and management
    • Edited by J. Bartram et al.
    • Published in 2004 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • A description of the distribution, routes of transmission and infection, and guidance on the control of pathogenic environmental mycobacteria in water and other parts of the environment.
  • Pharmaceuticals in drinking-water
  • Potable reuse: Guidance for producing safe drinking-water
    • Published in 2017 by the World Health Organization
    • Highlights specific aspects of potable reuse including the quality of source wastewaters and public acceptance and provides guidance on appropriate risk assessment and risk management procedures in order to ensure the safety of drinking-water from municipal wastewater.
  • Protecting groundwater for health: Managing the quality of drinking-water sources
    • Edited by O. Schmoll et al.
    • Published in 2006 by the World Health Organization
    • An analysis of the hazards to groundwater quality, and the risk they may present to a specific supply. This is a tool for developing strategies to protect groundwater for health by managing the quality of drinking-water sources.
  • Protecting surface water for health: Identifying, assessing and managing drinking-water quality risks in surface water catchments
    • Published in 2016 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides a structured approach to understanding surface waters and their catchments to support the identification, assessment and prioritization of the risks, and the development of management strategies for their control, as a basis for providing safe drinking-water
  • Quantifying public health risk in the WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality: A burden of disease approach
  • Quantitative microbial risk assessment: application for water safety management
    • Published in 2016 by the World Health Organization
    • Synthesizes the current knowledge on quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to facilitate its application in the practice of water supply, water reuse and water recreation to support the management of risks associated with faecal pathogens in the water-related context.
  • Rapid assessment of drinking-water quality: A handbook for implementation
    • Published in 2011 by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund
    • A practical guide to rapidly monitor water quality and safety, incorporating statistical methods, sanitary survey, and field approaches.
  • Review of latest available evidence on potential transmission of avian influenza (H5N1) through water and sewage and ways to reduce the risks to human health
    • Published in 2006 by the World Health Organization
    • A summary of the latest available studies and findings on avian influenza (H5N1) pertaining to water resources, water supplies, sanitation (human excreta, sewerage systems and health-care waste) and hygiene.
  • Risk assessment of Cryptosporidium in drinking water
    • G. Medema et al.
    • Published in 2009 by the World Health Organization
    • A text supporting the Guidelines for drinking-water quality by providing further data on Cryptosporidium to assist country authorities in setting health-based targets and water suppliers in determining required performance of water treatment processes as part of a system-specific water safety plan.
  • Safe drinking-water from desalination
    • Published in 2011 by the World Health Organization
    • Highlights the principal health risks related to different desalination processes and provides guidance on appropriate risk assessment and risk management procedures in order to ensure the safety of desalinated drinking-water.
  • Safe piped water: Managing microbial water quality in piped distribution systems
    • Edited by R. Ainsworth
    • Published in 2004 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • A report on microbial contaminants and growth of microorganisms in distribution networks and the practices that contribute to ensuring drinking-water safety in piped distribution systems.
  • Scaling up household water treatment among low-income populations
    • T. Clasen
    • Published in 2009 by the World Health Organization
    • Examines the evidence to date regarding the scalability of household water treatment systems. Its primary aims are to review the development and evolution of leading household water treatment technologies in their efforts to achieve scale, identify the main constraints that they have encountered and recommend ways forward.
  • Toxic cyanobacteria in water, 2nd edition
  • Turbidity: Information for regulators and operators of water supplies
  • Upgrading water treatment plants
  • Water quality—Guidelines, standards and health: Assessment of risk and risk management for water-related infectious disease
    • Edited by L. Fewtrell and J. Bartram
    • Published in 2001 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • Guidance on issues relating to microbial water quality and health, including environmental and public health scientists, water scientists, policy-makers and those responsible for developing standards and regulations.
  • Water safety in buildings
    • Edited by D. Cunliffe et al.
    • Published in 2011 by the World Health Organization
    • Provides guidance for managing water supplies in buildings (e.g. hospitals, schools, care facilities, hotels) where people may drink water; use water for food preparation; wash, shower, swim or use water for other recreational activities; or be exposed to aerosols produced by water-using devices, such as cooling towers.
  • Water safety in distribution systems
    • Published in 2014 by the World Health Organization
    • A reference tool to help water suppliers and regulators who are familiar with the water safety plan approach to enhance risk assessment and management and investment planning for their water distribution systems.
  • Water safety plan: A field guide to improving drinking-water safety in small communities
  • Water safety plan manual: Step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers
    • J. Bartram et al.
    • Published in 2009 by the World Health Organization
    • Guidance on developing and implementing a water safety plan through 11 learning modules, each representing a key step in the water safety plan development and implementation process.
  • Water safety planning for small community water supplies: Step-by-step risk management guidance for drinking-water supplies in small communities
    • Published in 2012 by the World Health Organization
    • Step-by-step guidance for the planning, design and implementation of water safety plans by and for rural and remote communities, including communities with piped schemes, those served by point sources and community-wide water supply services using various technical options.
  • Water safety plans: Managing drinking-water quality from catchment to consumer
  • Water treatment and pathogen control: Process efficiency in achieving safe drinking-water
    • M.W. LeChevallier and KK Au
    • Published in 2004 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • A critical analysis of the removal and inactivation of pathogenic microbes in water to aid the water quality specialist and design engineer in making decisions regarding microbial water quality.
  • Waterborne zoonoses: Identification, causes and control
    • Edited by J.A. Cotruvo et al.
    • Published in 2004 by IWA Publishing on behalf of the World Health Organization
    • An invaluable tool for all professionals concerned with assessing and managing waterborne zoonoses, which are diseases caused by microorganisms of animal origin that also infect humans.
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Bookshelf ID: NBK579459
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