WHO updates drinking-water guidelines

More guidance on desalination is included in an updated version of the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality 3rd edition, which can be downloaded from WHO.

The first and second addenda, which update the third edition, have been incorporated in this volume. The first addendum includes more guidance on management of emergencies and unforeseen events, additions concerning chlorination by-products and developing standards for volatile substances, and several new fact sheets for chemical substances.

The second addendum includes more guidance on household water management, rainwater harvesting, vended water, temporary water supplies, and pesticides used for vector control in drinking water sources. It also includes a series of new microbial and chemical fact sheets. Moreover, “expanded” fact sheets are included for key chemical risks such as arsenic, fluoride and nitrate/nitrite.