health departments can provide information about
contaminant levels in specific water supplies as
well as recommendations for further purifying
drinking water. Because it is not always possible to
prevent contaminants from entering drinking
water sources, water systems typically filter and
treat (such as by chlorination) drinking water sup-
plies to reduce contaminants to nonpathogenic
levels.
FDA regulations currently address approxi-
mately 80 contaminants capable of causing acute
(immediate and short term) or chronic (cumula-
tive with exposure over time) health conditions.
Among them are
- microorganisms such as BACTERIA(notably fecal
coliform and Escherichia coli) and parasites- enteric viruses (viruses that cause gastrointesti-
nal INFECTION) - disinfectants and disinfectant by-products
- organic and nonorganic chemicals (metals,
minerals, and industrial chemicals) - radionuclides (radioactive particles)
- enteric viruses (viruses that cause gastrointesti-
Because scientific knowledge continuously
evolves, detecting and eliminating drinking water
contaminants is a dynamic process. Generally,
state and local water jurisdictions develop the pro-
cedures they follow to comply with FDA safe
drinking water standards, with input from local
health authorities as well as the general public.
See also COMMUNITY SANITATION; ENVIRONMENTAL
HAZARD EXPOSURE; FLUORIDATION; WATERBORNE ILL-
NESSES.drinking water standards 21