Title: Regulation of chemical limit values for good quality of drinking water

General aspects of drinking water

hygiene

Tamara Grummt, Andrea Sehr

Federal Environment Agency (UBA)
Unit for Toxicology of Drinking Water and Swimming-Pool Water
Bad Elster Branch, D-08645 Bad Elster, Germany

Workshop “Water Quality“

Peru, April 2014
 Our long way to Peru

We want to share our experiences with you

and we want to learn from you 2
 Where does Tamara come from?

Where do Tamara + Andrea come from?

DE Saxony

Bad Elster

Europe Germany Saxony

consists of 16 Federal one of the 16
States (so-called Federal States
Bundesländer)

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 Town Bad Elster
with about
4.000 inhabitants
The town is a health resort
and healing spa with
mineral drinking springs and
mud since 1848.

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 Visit to Bad Elster
12.-16. August 2014

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Lab Demonstrations

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Visit to local Agricultural Cooperative
and Sewage Treatment Plant

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Trip to Dessau Headquarter

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Excursion to Cultural Heritage

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 Organization

President
Vice-president

Division I Division II
Central Division Environmental Planning and Environmental Health and
Sustainability Strategies Protection of Ecosystems

Division III
Division IV DEHSt
Environmentally Compatible
Chemical and Biological German Emissions
Engineering – Processes
Safety Trading Authority
and Products

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 Our mission statement
Federal Environment Agency - For our Environment
Who we are
The Federal Environment Agency is the scientific environmental authority
under the jurisdiction of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), responsible for the most diverse
range of topics.
We assume responsibility for the protection of the environment and of
humankind against adverse environmental factors.
We represent all essential fields of study and qualifications.
The importance of our analyses and recommendations for political decision-
making and our independence from lobbying interests make us a unique
environmental institution in Germany.
What we want
Our goals are
 to protect and maintain natural resources, also as an act of responsibility
towards future generations,
 to advance sustainable development,
 to promote environmental protection as a matter of course in the thinking and
action of everybody.
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 International tasks

 Focal Point Basel Convention

 German National Focal Point of the European Environmental Agency (EEA)

at the Federal Environment Agency

 National Air Quality Reference Laboratory for the European Union at the
Federal Environment Agency

 National Focal Point for the Information Exchange on best available

Techniques according to IPPC directive
 Single National Entity for the National System under the Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol at the Federal
Environment Agency
 UNESCO-Liaison Office for Environmental Education at the Federal
Environment Agency
 WHO Collaborating Centre for Air Quality Management and Air Pollution Control
 WHO Collaborating Centre for Research on Drinking Water Hygiene at the
Federal Environment Agency
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 Structure of the German Environment Agency

President
Vice-president

Division I Division II
Central Division Environmental Planning and Environmental Health and
Sustainability Strategies Protection of Ecosystems

Section II 3.6:
Unit for Toxicology of Drinking
Water and Swimming-Pool Water

Division III
Division IV DEHSt
Environmentally Compatible
Chemical and Biological German Emissions
Engineering – Processes
Safety Trading Authority
and Products

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 UN millennium goals by 2015

 To provide access to clean water

 To provide a careful wastewater treatment and

sanitation as well as closing the water cycle to
secure the water resource

 To establish a worldwide capacity development

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The four guiding principles

 Sustainable use
 Secure supply
 Efficient treatment
 Capacity development

Hierarchy of values:
Prevent – Reduce – Recycle

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 Basic principles in DW hygiene (3)

Basic principles in DW hygiene (1)

 The quality of drinking-water may be controlled through a

combination of protection of water sources, selection and control
of treatment processes and management of the distribution and
storage and handling of water.
 Reliance on final product water quality determination alone is
insufficient to protect public health. As it is neither physically nor
economically feasible to test for all drinking-water quality
parameters equally, monitoring effort and resources should be
carefully planned and directed at significant or key
characteristics identified using site specific risk assessments.

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 Basic principles in DW hygiene (4)

Basic principles in DW hygiene (2)

 These factors place toxic chemicals in a lower priority

category than microbial contaminants.
 The use of chemical disinfectants in water treatment usually
results in the formation of chemical by-products, some of
which are potentially hazardous. However, the risks to health
from these by-products are extremely small in comparison
with the risks associated with inadequate disinfection.
 It is important to maintain a quality of water that is acceptable
to the consumer, in addition to ensuring its safety. Aesthetic
and organoleptic characteristics are subject to individual
preference as well as social, economic and cultural
considerations.

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 Drinking Water Ordinance

In Germany the DWD is implemented by:

Ordinance on the quality of water
intended for human consumption
(Short form: Drinking Water Ordinance
Trinkwasserverordnung - TrinkwV 2001,
revised in 2011 and 2012)

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 Purpose of Drinking Water Ordinance

The purpose of this Ordinance shall be to protect

human health from the adverse effects of any
contamination of water intended for human
consumption, by ensuring its wholesomeness and
purity as stipulated in the following provisions.

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 Precautionary Principle

For drinking water quality the precautionary principle is

especially justified, because as a basic food, consumers have
no choise of consumption. Once spoilt, it could at best be
treated afterwards but could not be recalled or replaced. Also,
water is consumed by an especially large number of potential
high-risk groups in considerably higher daily quantities (2 kg
and more) than other foodstuffs. In addition, if highly populated
areas were to be excluded from central drinking water supply in
account of health risks, water-borne sewer systems would
break down quickly. Thus, considerably high risks for epidemics
would be an inevitable result.

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 Basic principle in Drinking Water Production –
the Multi-barrier Approach

DW quality in DE is safeguarded by the so-called multi-barrier approach.

1st barrier - resource protection: The multi-barrier approach starts in the
catchment area of the water resource (groundwater, spring water, reservoir
water, lake water) with a consequent protection of the drinking water resource
for instance by establishing drinking water protection areas and preferential use
of raw water source for drinking water production.
2nd barrier - drinking water treatment: The 2nd barrier is drinking water
treatment with withdrawal, production, treatment, storage and distribution of
drinking water keeping with generally acknowledged standards of technology
for design, construction, operation and maintenance of drinking water systems.
3rd barrier - in-house installation: The application of generally acknowledged
standards of technology also for in-house installations prevents an impairment
of drinking water quality in in-house installations.

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Requirements in Drinking Water Ordinance (1)
General requirements:
• Drinking water must be free from pathogens, wholesome and
clean.
Chemical requirements:
• Drinking water may not contain chemical substances in
concentrations that are liable to damage human health.
• Drinking water may not exceed the limit values for chemical
parameters laid down in Annex 2 (a total of 26).
• Concentrations of chemical substances that can contaminate
drinking water or impair its quality, are to be kept as low as
reasonably possible according to the generally acknowledged
technical standards considering the circumstances of the
individual case (the so-called minimizing principle).
See following tables
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 Limit Values

Criteria serve to find:

- potential to affect - transparent societal

human health decision process

- potential to damage
certain function
(e.g. pumps)
§ - not only a matter
of science

- potential to influence
taste and odor
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 Chemical parameters (1)
TrinkwV 2001 – Chemical parameters (1)

… whose concentration does not usually increase in the distribution

network including the domestic distribution network:
Parameter Limit value Notes
(mg/l)
Acrylamide 0.00010 LV refers to the residual monomer
concentration in the water as calculated from
the maximum release according to
specifications of the corresponding polymer
and the polymer dose used
Benzene 0.0010
Boron 1,0
Bromate 0.010
Chromium 0.050 For determination, the concentration of
chromate is converted to chromium
Cyanide 0.050
1,2-dichloroethane 0.0030
Fluoride 1.5
Nitrate 50 The sum of nitrate concentrations in mg/l
divided by 50 and nitrate concentration in mg/l
divided by 3 may not exceed 1 mg/l
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 Chemical parameters (2)
TrinkwV 2001 – Chemical parameters (2)

… whose concentration does not usually increase in the distribution

network including the domestic distribution network (continued):
Parameter Limit value Notes
(mg/l)
Pesticides + biological agents 0.00010 Pesticides and biological agents means:
organic herbicides, organic fungicides,
organic nematicides, organic acaricides,
organic algicides, organic rodenticides,
organic antimucosals, related products (i.a.
growth regulators) and the relevant
metabolites, degradation and reaction
products
Total pesticides + biol. agents 0.00050 Sum of the individual pesticides and
biological agents
Mercury 0.0010
Selenium 0.010
Tetrachloro- + trichloroethene 0.010 Sum of the detected concentrations of
these two compounds
Uranium 0.010 Since 2011

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 Chemical parameters (3)
TrinkwV 2001 – Chemical parameters (3)

… whose concentration in the distribution network including the domestic

distribution network can increase:
Parameter Limit value Notes
(mg/l)
Antimony 0.0050
Arsenic 0.010
Benzo(a)pyrene 0.000010
Bromate 0.010
Lead 0.0250 From 2013 the limit value is 0.01 mg/l
Cadmium 0.0050 Inclusive of the cadmium compounds absorbed
by water stagnating in pipes
Epichlorohydrin 0.00010 See Acryamide
Copper 2.0
Nickel 0.020
Nitrite 0.50 The sum of nitrate concentrations in mg/l
divided by 50 and nitrate concentration in mg/l
divided by 3 may not exceed 1 mg/l. At the exit
of the waterworks, the value of 0.01 mg/l may
not be exceeded

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 Microbial hazards associated with drinking-water

Microbial hazards associated with drinking-water

 Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic

bacteria, viruses and parasites (e.g., protozoa and
helminths) are the most common and widespread
health risk associated with drinking-water.
 The public health burden is determined by the
severity of the illness(es) associated with
pathogens, their infectivity and the population
exposed.

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 Microbial safety and drinking-water quality (1)

Microbial safety and drinking-water quality (1)

 The traditional approach (for more than 100 yrs.) to

assessing faecal pollution and verifying safety of
drinking water has been based on testing of indicator
organisms.
 The organism of choice is E. coli (or thermotolerant
coliforms).
 However, E. coli has shortcomings as an indicator of
viruses and parasites that are more resistant to
treatment.
 In addition it has become clear that no single organism
can indicate both faecal pollution and treatment
efficiency

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Requirements in Drinking Water Ordinance (2)

Microbiological requirements:
• Drinking water may not contain pathogens (as specified in the
Protection against Infection Act) in concentrations that are
liable to damage human health.
• Drinking water may not exceed the limit values for
microbiological parameters laid down in Annex 1 (a total of 2).

See following table

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 Microbiological parameters

Parameter Limit value Notes

(number/100 ml)
Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0

Enterococci 0

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Requirements in Drinking Water Ordinance (3)

Indicator parameters
• Drinking water must comply with the limit values and
requirements for indicator parameters as stipulated in
Annex 3.
See following tables

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 Indicator parameters (1)

Parameter Limit value/ Notes

Requirement
Aluminium 0.20 mg/l
Ammonium 0.50 mg/l The cause of any sudden or continuous
increase in the usual concentration must be
investigated.

Chloride 250 mg/l The water should not be aggressive.

Clostridium perfringens 0/100 ml This parameter need not be measured unless
(inc. Spores) the water originates from or is influenced by
surface water.
Coliform bacteria 0/100 ml
Iron 0.20 mg/l
Colour 0.5 m-1 Spectral absorption coefficient Hg 436 nm
Odour 3 at 23 °C Gradual dilution with odorless water and
testing for smell
Taste Acceptable to
consumers and
no abnormal
change

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 Indicator parameters (2)
TrinkwV 2001 – Indicator parameters (2)

Parameter Limit value/ Notes

Requirement
Colony count at 22 °C No abnormal
change
Colony count at 36 °C No abnormal
change
Electrical conductivity 2790 µS/cm at The water should not be aggressive.
25 °C
Manganese 0.050 mg/l
Sodium 200 mg/l
Total organic carbon No abnormal
(TOC) change
Oxidisability 5.0 mg/l O2
Sulphate 250 mg/l Spectral absorption coefficient Hg 436 nm
Turbidity 1.0 NTU NTU: nephelometric turbidity units
The limit value applies ex treatment works.
The entrepreneur or any other owner of a
water supply installation have to report any
sudden or continuous increase immediately to
the competent authorities.

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 Small supplies and health

 surrounded by catchment areas

(e.g. nitrate, microbial growth)

 presence of geogenic constituents with

a high toxic potential
(arsenic, heavy metals)

 biofilms in containers used for storage

(toxic microcystins)

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Emerging Contaminants in the Water Cycle

sewage effluents
agricultural run off
surface water / sediment
drinking water
materials in contact with drinking water
water treatment process

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 Integrated Approach

EC

Risk assessment Exposure

- drinking water guide value chemical analysis in
- consumption recommendations surface and drinking
water

Hazard
identification
- in vitro testing
- human biomonitoring
- ecological monitoring
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 Activated Carbon for
Removal of PFC from Water

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 Exposure Black Box Disease
Dose - Effect Slightly, but
consistently Persistence
Extern:
e.g. of the effect
e.g.
- depends on
Passive-sampler
metabolism
Intern: and repair
e.g. Hb adducts, urine,
serum

0 Factor „Time“ 10 – 20 a
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 Chromosome Aberration Assay

Cell Preparation:
- Hypotonic Treatment
- Fixation
Blood 44 hrs Culture
Collection

Metaphase Microscopic Analysis Staining

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 Theoretical concept
Evolution and pattern of disease

Exposure
Inflammatory Disease/Risk
during
exposure as adult
childhood

 Increasing risk

across lifespan 

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The provision of drinking water
must be given priority above
all other uses of water bodies

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