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General guidelines for "healthy" water for lifetime consumption according to

SANS 241-1:2015:

Microbiological testing

Risk

acute health

operational 

operational

Organism

E. coli / faecal coliforms 

Total coliforms

Heterotropic plate count

Standard limits

0 cells/100ml

<10 cells/100ml

< 1000 cells/ml

Chemical testing

Test

Macro determinants

Free Chlorine (Cl2)

Monochloramine

Nitrate (NO3-N)

Nitrite (NO2-N)

combined nitrate plus nitrite

Sulphate  (SO42-)

Fluoride (F-)

Micro determinants

Antimony  (Sb)

Arsenic  (As)

Barium  (Ba)

Boron  (B)

Cadmium  (Cd)

Total chromium  (Cr)

Copper  (Cu)

Cyanide (CN-)

Iron (Fe)

Lead  (Pb)

Manganese (Mn)

Mercury  (Hg)

Nickel  (Ni)

Selenium  (Se)

Uranium (U)

Organic determinants

Total organic carbon as C

Trihalomethanes

   Choloroform

   Bromoform

   Dibromochloromethane

   Bromodichloromethane

Combined trihalomethane

Value

chronic health

chronic health

acute health

acute health

acute health

acute health

Chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

acute health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

chronic health

Value

≤5mg/L

≤3mg/L

≤11mg/L

≤0.9mg/L

≤1 mg/L

≤500mg/L

≤1.5mg/L

≤20ug/L

≤10ug/L

≤700ug/L

≤2 400ug/L

≤3ug/L

≤50ug/L

≤2000ug/L

≤200ug/L

≤2000ug/L

≤10ug/L

≤400ug/L

≤6ug/L

≤70ug/L

≤40ug/L

≤30ug/L

≤10mg/L

≤300ug/L

≤100ug/L

≤100ug/L

≤60ug/L

≤1

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