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
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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
​
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Value
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≤5mg/L
≤3mg/L
≤11mg/L
≤0.9mg/L
≤1 mg/L
≤500mg/L
≤1.5mg/L
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≤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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