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