Short-term exceedances for chemicals and emergency situations
Short-term exposure guidance values
The draft text is now available for review. Comments are welcome following the format on the comment sheet, below.
Comments on the draft background documents above should be sent before 15 May 2007 to gdwqexposure@who.int
Rolling revision of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
Background
The Chemical Aspects Working Group meeting (Tokyo, 2002) recommended the development of short-term guidance values for cyanide and petroleum oils. Such guidance would be useful in planning for and responding to accidental and deliberate pollution incidents. The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Final Task Force meeting (Geneva, 2003) reiterated that guidance on short-term exceedances of guidelines (related to both accidental and deliberate chemical pollution) is frequently sought and noted that the adverse impacts of some management options (discontinuing supply/access) preclude a simple precautionary approach. The 2003 Final Task Force meeting identified this as a priority area for the development of guidance and Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality expansion. A document entitled The Use of Guidelines for Chemical Parameters in Emergency Situations had been prepared for discussion purposes.
Expected end-product(s)
- New section on “Use of guidelines for chemicals in emergency situations” (probably in section 6.2) for inclusion in the first addendum to the Third Edition
- New text to describe methodology for deriving short-term guidance values and use of JMPR acute reference doses for pesticides (probably in section 8.2) for inclusion in the second addendum to the Third Edition
- New text for Policies and Procedures Manual on the establishment of short-term drinking-water guidelines
Progress to date
A first draft of text on the establishment of short-term drinking-water guidelines for the Policies and Procedures Manual and for the second addendum to the Third Edition has been prepared and is in review. The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Working Group meeting (Geneva, 2005) agreed on a plan of work with respect to text on boil water and water avoidance advisories, to be incorporated into the new text on emergency situations included in the first addendum. The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Working Group meeting (Geneva, 2006) agreed on the need for text on the establishment of short-term drinking-water guidelines for the Policies and Procedures Manual and the second addendum.
Guidance values for use in emergencies
The draft text is now available for review. Comments are welcome following the format on the comment sheet, below.
Comments on the draft background documents above should be sent before 15 May 2007 to gdwqemergencies@who.int.
Rolling revision of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
Background
The Chemical Aspects Working Group meeting (Tokyo, 2002) recommended the development of short-term guidance values for cyanide and petroleum oils. Such guidance would be useful in planning for and responding to accidental and deliberate pollution incidents. The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Final Task Force meeting (Geneva, 2003) reiterated that guidance on short-term exceedances of guidelines (related to both accidental and deliberate chemical pollution) is frequently sought and noted that the adverse impacts of some management options (discontinuing supply/access) preclude a simple precautionary approach. The 2003 Final Task Force meeting identified this as a priority area for the development of guidance and Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality expansion. A document entitled The Use of Guidelines for Chemical Parameters in Emergency Situations had been prepared for discussion purposes.
Expected end-products
- New section on “Use of guidelines for chemicals in emergency situations” (probably in section 6.2) for inclusion in the first addendum to the Third Edition;
- New text to describe methodology for deriving short-term guidance values and use of JMPR acute reference doses for pesticides (probably in section 8.2) for inclusion in the second addendum to the Third Edition;
- New text for Policies and Procedures Manual on the establishment of short-term drinking-water guidance values
Progress to date
The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Working Group meeting (Geneva, 2005) agreed on a plan of work with respect to text on boil water and water avoidance advisories, to be incorporated into the new text on emergency situations included in the first addendum. The text has been published in the first addendum. The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Working Group meeting (Geneva, 2006) agreed on the need for text on the establishment of short-term drinking-water guidance values for the Policies and Procedures Manual and the second addendum and decided on a plan of work.