Drinking Water Contaminant Human Health Effects Information
Drinking Water Standards and Advisory Tables
These tables summarize EPA's drinking water regulations and health advisory as well as reference dose (RFD) and cancer risk values for drinking water contaminants. EPA updates the tables periodically.
The tables contain drinking water standards in the form of non-enforceable concentrations of drinking water contaminants, or Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs), as well as 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. EPA's HAs are non-enforceable and provide technical guidance to states agencies and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies, and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination. The tables contain HA values for certain contaminants based on non-cancer health effects for different durations of exposure (for example, one-day, ten-day, and lifetime).
Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides
EPA has developed human health benchmarks for approximately 363 pesticides to enable our partners to better determine whether the detection of a pesticide in drinking water or source waters for drinking water may indicate a potential health risk.
- Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides Database
- Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides - 2013 Update Fact Sheet (August 2013)
- Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides: Updated 2013 Technical Document (August 2013)
Human Health and Drinking Water Advisory Documents for Chemical Contaminants
- Chemical Health Advisory/Effects Documents Under Development
- Perchlorate Interim Health Advisory
- Fluoride Risk Assessment and Relative Source Contribution
- Chemical Health Advisory/Effects Documents Completed
Regulatory Support Documents for Chemical Contaminants
- Acanthamoeba
- (Related: Eye infections)
- Aldrin and Dieldrin
- 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
- Manganese
- Metribuzin
- Naphthalene
- Terbacil
- 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane
- Brominated Trihalomethanes
Human Health Drinking Water Advisory/Effects Documents for Microbial Contaminants
- Microbial Documents Under Development
- None at this time
- Microbial Documents Completed
- Cyanotoxins
- Fact Sheet (June 2015)
- Federal Register Notice (PDF) (2 pp, 198 K, About PDF) (June 17, 2015)
- Cylindrospermopsin Health Advisory (June 2015)
- Cylindrospermopsin Health Effects (June 2015)
- Microcystins Health Advisory (June 2015)
- Microcystins Health Effects (June 2015)
- Cryptosporidium Health Advisory (March 2001)
- Legionella
- Fact Sheet (September 2000)
- Legionella Health Advisory (November 1999)
- Giardia
- Fact Sheet (September 2000)
- Giardia Health Advisory (November 1999)
- Mycobacteria
- Fact Sheet (March 2002)
- Mycobacteria Health Advisory (August 1999)
- Cyanotoxins