Health Canada

Boron can be present in drinking water supplies through weathering of boron-containing rocks and soils, seawater spray and volcanoes as well as from anthropogenic sources such as wastewater from municipal sewage treatment and industrial processes, pesticide application and other human activities....

Standardized methods available for the analysis of malathion in source and drinking water and their respective MDLs are summarized in Table 4. MDLs are dependent on the sample matrix, instrumentation and selected operating conditions and will vary between individual laboratories. These methods...

This guideline technical document was prepared in collaboration with the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water and is based on assessments of malathion completed by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency and supporting documents.

Table A-1. Total boron concentrations for select river basins across Canada, taken from Environment and Climate Change Canada's long-term monitoring data (2000-2015)

Analytical methods to detect boron. Standardized methods available for the analysis of total boron in drinking water and their respective MDLs are summarized in Table 3. MDLs are dependent on the sample matrix, instrumentation, and selected operating conditions and will vary between individual...

The World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. EPA, Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council and the European Commission have developed guidelines or advisory values for boron in drinking water (Table 6). WHO (2011), Australia (NHMRC and NRMCC, 2011) and the European Commission (2020)...

covers the literature up to 2012. The present assessment considers the previous data, as well as material published after this period from 2012 to 2018. Health Canada has also previously reviewed the toxicity of boric acid, its salts and its precursors under the Canadian Environmental Protection...

The average total daily boron intake from environmental media, food and drinking water for the general Canadian population ranges from 3 to 92 μg/kg body weight (bw) per day, depending on the age group, with an estimated 3% to 16% of total dietary intake attributable to drinking water (ECCC and...

Guideline Technical Document for Public Consultation Consultation period ends November 28, 2023. Purpose of consultation: This guideline technical document evaluated the available information on iron with the intent of updating the guideline value for iron in drinking water.

This guideline technical document outlines the evaluation of the available information on calcium, magnesium, hardness, chloride, sulphate, total dissolved solids (TDS) and hydrogen sulphide with the intent of updating the guideline value for these operational parameters in drinking water. The...

There are limited data on the toxicological effects of antimony in humans. The majority of the human data in the literature come from the reported side effects observed during therapeutic applications of antimony-based drugs (antimonials). Side effects observed following therapeutic-level doses...

Canadians can be exposed to antimony via food, drinking water, air and consumer products. Exposure to antimony trioxide and antimony containing substances (11 inorganic compounds) has been assessed previously (Environment Canada and Health Canada, 2010; ECCC and Health Canada, 2020). This section...

This guideline technical document evaluated the available information on antimony with the intent of updating the guidelines for antimony in drinking water. The purpose of this consultation is to solicit comments on the proposed guidelines, on the approach used for its development, and on the...

Management strategies. All water utilities should implement a risk management approach, such as the source-to-tap or water safety plan approach, to ensure water safety (CCME, 2004; WHO, 2011, 2012). These approaches require a system assessment to characterize the source water, describe the...

It assesses new studies and approaches and takes into consideration the availability of appropriate treatment technology in order to establish maximum acceptable concentrations that are protective of human health, measurable and achievable by both municipal and residential scale treatment...

Health Canada completed its review on the usefulness of total coliforms as part of a source-to-tap approach to producing microbiologically acceptable drinking water. This guideline technical document reviews and assesses available literature on the uses of total coliforms in drinking water...

An aesthetic objective of ≤500 mg/L has been established for total dissolved solids (TDS) in drinking water. At higher levels, excessive hardness, unpalatability, mineral deposition and corrosion may occur. At low levels, however, TDS contributes to the palatability of water.

This supporting document focuses on the health risks associated with TCE in drinking water, including multiple routes of exposure -- ingestion as well as inhalation and skin absorption from showering and bathing. It assesses all identified health risks, taking into account new studies and...

The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for trifluralin in drinking water is 0.045 mg/L (45 µg/L).

The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water is 0.100 mg/L (100 µg/L) based on a locational running annual average of a minimum of quarterly samples taken at the point in the distribution system with the highest potential THM levels. The maximum...