EXECUTIVE SUMMARY — The Water We Drink: An International Comparison of Drinking Water Standards and Guidelines

Published by: David Suzuki Foundation

Environmental rights, Cities drinking water advisories, agriculture, chemicals and toxins, community and culture, human health and wellbeing, water systems, conservation, policy and regulation

Each day, we need to replenish our bodies with about 2.5 litres of water. Clean water is vital for irrigating food crops, fish habitat, washing, cooking and a myriad of other functions. Yet water can also be a source of exposure to pathogens and chemical, physical and radiological contaminants. That’s what makes protection of our water so important. Canada’s federal government plays a vital role in establishing the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. But it is letting us down. This is the executive summary of a report that compares Canada’s water quality guidelines with corresponding frameworks in the U.S., the European Union and Australia, as well as guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization.