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Drinking Water Health Advisories
Drinking water and health advisory summary tables are prepared periodically. They contain drinking water standards in the form of non-enforceable concentrations of drinking water contaminants, Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs), or enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Maximum Contaminant Levels are the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in water delivered to users of a public water system. Health Advisories (HAs) provide information on contaminants that can cause human health effects and are known or anticipated to occur in drinking water. Health Advisories are guidance values based on non-cancer health effects for different durations of exposure (e.g., one-day, ten-day, and lifetime). They provide technical guidance to our Regional Offices, State governments, and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination.
Additional Information on Ground Water and Drinking Water
Providing information on drinking water regulations, source water protection programs, and ground water protection. It also includes links to local drinking water information.
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- Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisory Tables
- Chemical Contaminants
- Microbiological
- Other Drinking Water Documents
Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisory Tables
These tables summarize the drinking water regulations and health advisory values as well as the reference dose (RFD) and cancer risk values for drinking water contaminants.
2006 Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisory tables | Print Version (PDF) (18 pp., 85 K; EPA 822-R-06-013)
Estimated Per Capita Water Ingestion in the United States - 2004
This report provides current estimates of water ingestion and body weight for the population of the U.S. and selected subpopulations including pregnant women, lactating women and women of child-bearing age.
Archived Drinking Water Standards
- 2004 (PDF) (20 pp., 132 K; EPA 822-R-04-005)
- 2002
- 2000
- 1996
- 1994
Chemical Contaminants
Health and Drinking Water Advisories for Chemical Contaminants
- Boron: Health Advisory and Summary
- Dacthal and Dacthal Degradates: Health Advisory and Summary
- 2,4- and 2,6- Dinitrotoluene: Health Advisory
- Manganese: Drinking Water Advisory (PDF) (55 pp., 148 K)
- Methyl tertiary-Butyl ether (MtBE): Drinking Water Advisory
- Oxamyl: Health Advisory (PDF) (36 pp., 118 K)
- Perchlorate: Interim Health Advisory
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS): Provisional Health Advisory (PDF) (5 pp., 161 K) | More on PFOA
- Sodium: Drinking Water Advisory (PDF) (34 pp., 123 K)
- Sulfate: Drinking Water Advisory (PDF) (34 pp., 127 K)
- 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane: Health Advisory and Summary
Health Effects Support Documents for Regulatory Determination
- Acanthamoeba (PDF) (75 pp., 3 MB)
- (Related: Eye infections)
- Aldrin and Dieldrin (PDF) (61 pp., 729 K)
- Boron
- Dacthal and its Degradates
- 1,1,-dichloro-2,2,-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE)
- 1,3 dichloropropene (Telone)
- S-Ethyl Dipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC)
- Fonofos
- Hexachlorobutadiene (PDF) (57 pp., 722 K)
- Manganese (PDF) (52 pp., 115 K)
- Metribuzin (PDF) (59 pp., 258 K)
- Naphthalene (PDF) (56 pp., 353 K)
- Terbacil
- 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane
Microbiological
Regulatory Support Documents
Criteria documents and guidance for drinking water contaminants provide information so preliminary decisions can be made as to whether the contaminant is a significant health threat via drinking water exposure and whether sufficient data exists to perform quantitative risk assessments.
Criteria documents and guidance for surface waters provide information to help states adopt water quality standards that protect the health of people who recreate in water.
Criteria Documents
- Aeromonas (PDF) (764 K, 198 pp.; March 2006)
- Cryptosporidium (PDF) (1.1 MB, 146 pp.; March 2001)
- Legionella (PDF) (821 K, 123 pp.; November 1999)
- Giardia (PDF) (701 K, 292 pp.; August 1998)
- Bacteria (PDF) (24 pp., 155 K; 1986)
Health Advisories
Health Advisories serve as informal technical guidance to assist federal, state, and local officials responsible for protecting public health when emergency spills or contamination situations occur. They are not to be construed as legally enforceable federal standards. The Health Advisories are subject to change as new information becomes available.
- Cryptosporidium (PDF) (1.0 MB, 31 pp.; March 2001)
- Legionella (PDF) (608 K, 27 pp.; March 2001)
- Giardia (PDF) (727 K, 42 pp.; November 1999)
- Mycobacteria (PDF) (978 K, 35 pp.; August 1999)
Fact Sheets
- Mycobacteria (PDF) (21 K, 4 pp.; March 2002)
- Giardia (PDF) (77 K, 5 pp.; September 2000)
- Legionella (PDF) (17 K, 3 pp.; September 2000)
Children Risk Documents
- Legionella (PDF) (506 K, 13 pp.; November 1999)
- Giardia (PDF) (697 K, 73 pp.; August 1999)
Other Drinking Water Documents
Drinking Water Criteria Document for Brominated Trihalomethanes
Brominated trihalomethanes are volatile organic liquids that have a number of industrial and chemical uses. The process of disinfecting drinking water generates brominated trihalomethanes as a by-product. This document was developed in support of the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule.