Drinking water standards
Drinking-water quality: guidelines and regulations
Drinking-water requirements depend on the jurisdiction. WHO guidelines provide a scientific basis for national standards; legally binding requirements come from the applicable legislation.
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization's current Guidelines for drinking-water quality are the fourth edition incorporating the first, second and third addenda, published on 17 June 2026. They support health-based targets, risk management from catchment to consumer, and independent surveillance.
Consult the current WHO publication for the scope and interpretation of individual guideline values. A missing value must not be interpreted as proof that a substance is harmless.
European Union
The EU's current framework is Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, which updates the 1998 Drinking Water Directive. It entered into force on 12 January 2021 and has applied since 12 January 2023, with phased implementation deadlines for particular requirements.
The directive sets parametric values and establishes a risk-based approach to drinking-water safety. For compliance decisions, consult the current directive and the national rules that implement it. The European Commission's drinking-water overview explains the current framework.
Related Lenntech reference pages
- WHO drinking-water standards overview
- EU drinking-water standards overview
- Comparison of WHO and EU water standards
Check the dates and cited editions on these reference pages against the current official sources before using their values.
For information about water filtration technologies, please contact Lenntech.