Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) which is implemented by the EPA, mainly through state or territorial primacy agencies. States and territories must implement rules that are at least as stringent as EPA's to retain primary enforcement authority (primacy) over drinking water. Many states also apply their own state-specific standards, which may be more rigorous or include additional parameters. Standards set by the EPA in the USA are not international standards since they apply only to a single country, however, many countries look to the USA for appropriate scientific and public health guidance and may reference or adopt USA standards.

World health Organisation Guidelines[edit]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Guideline for Drinking-water Quality (GDWQ) include the following recommended limits on naturally occurring constituents that may have direct adverse health impact:

• Arsenic 10μg/l
• Barium 10μg/l
• Boron 2400μg/l
• Chromium 50μg/l
• Fluoride 1500μg/l
• Selenium 40μg/l
• Uranium 30μg/l

Organic species:

• Benzene 10μg/l
• Carbon tetrachloride 4μg/l
• 1,2-Dichlorobenzene 1000μg/l
• 1,4-Dichlorobenzene 300μg/l
• 1,2-Dichloroethane 30μg/l
• 1,2-Dichloroethene 50μg/l
• Dichloromethane 20μg/l
• Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate 8 μg/l
• 1,4-Dioxane 50μg/l
• Edetic acid 600μg/l
• Ethylbenzene 300 μg/l
• Hexachlorobutadiene 0.6 μg/l
• Nitrilotriacetic acid 200μg/l
• Pentachlorophenol 9μg/l
• Styrene 20μg/l
• Tetrachloroethene 40μg/l
• Toluene 700μg/l
• Trichloroethene 20μg/l
• Xylene 500μg/l

Comparison of parametric values[edit]

The following table provides a comparison of a selection of parameters for concentrations listed by WHO, the European Union, EPA, and Ministry of Environmental Protection of China.

" indicates that no standard has been identified by editors of this article and ns indicates that no standard exists. μg/l -> Micro grams per litre or 0.001