Drinking water and health: Technical resources
On this page
- Guidelines and technical documents
- Guidance documents
- Drinking water Screening Values
- Source to tap guidance
- Technical and research reports
Guidelines and technical documents
Documents for public comment
Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality: Technical documents
Microbiological parameters
Chemical and physical parameters
- Aluminum
- Ammonia
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Asbestos
- Atrazine
- Barium
- Benzene
- Benzo[a]pyrene
- Boron
- Bromate
- Bromoxynil
- Cadmium
- Carbon tetrachloride
- Chloramines
- Chlorine
- Chlorite and chlorate
- Chlorophenols
- Chlorpyrifos
- Chromium
- Colour
- Copper
- Cyanide
- Cyanobacterial toxins
- Dicamba
- Dichlorobenzenes
- Dichloroethane, 1,2
- Dichloroethylene,1,1
- Dichloromethane
- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4
- Dimethoate
- Dioxane-1,4
- Diquat
- Ethylbenzene (see toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
- Fluoride
- Formaldehyde
- Glyphosate
- Haloacetic acids
- Iron
- Lead
- Malathion
- Manganese
- MCPA - (2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic Acid)
- Mercury
- Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)
- Metribuzine
- Microcystin-LR (see cyanobacterial toxins)
- N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
- Nitrate/nitrite
- Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)
- Odour
- Operational Parameters
- Calcium
- Chloride
- Hardness
- Hydrogen sulphide
- Magnesium
- Sulphate
- Total dissolved solids
- Pentachlorophenol (see chlorophenols)
- Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- pH
- Selenium
- Silver
- Sodium
- Strontium
- Taste
- Tetrachloroethylene
- Toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes
- Trichloroethylene
- Trichlorophenol,2,4,6- (see chlorophenols)
- Trihalomethanes
- Turbidity
- Uranium
- Vinyl chloride
- Xylenes (see toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes)
- Zinc
Radiological parameters
Guidance documents
Chemical and physical parameters
- Potassium from water softeners
- Chloral hydrate in drinking water
- Temperature aspects of drinking water
- Natural organic matter in drinking water
- Guidance on Sampling and Mitigation Measures for Controlling Lead
- Issuing and rescinding drinking water avoidance advisories in emergency situations
Microbiological parameters
- Use of quantitative microbial risk assessment in drinking water
- Overview of the microbiological aspects of drinking water quality
- Use of enterococci as an indicator in Canadian drinking water supplies
- Monitoring the biological stability of drinking water in distribution systems
- Issuing and rescinding boil water advisories in Canadian drinking water supplies
Drinking water Screening Values
- Diazinon
- Diuron
- Drinking water screening value for Iodide: Technical summary
- Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)
- Perchlorate
- Sulfolane
Source to tap guidance
- Guidance for safe drinking water in Canada: From intake to tap (2001)
- From source to tap: The Multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water (2002)
- Guidance for providing safe drinking water in areas of federal jurisdiction (December, 2021)
Technical and research reports
- Findings and recommendations of the fluoride expert panel (January 2007)
- Expert panel meeting on the health effects of fluoride in drinking water: Summary report
- Fluoride and Oral Health