Comparison and Analysis of China's Water Hygiene Standards with International Standards

With the increasingly of the global environment and the continuous growth of the population, the protection and rational utilization of water resources have become a major issue faced by countries around the world. Against this background, China has made many revisions to its water hygiene standards to ensure water quality safety and protect public health. This article will compare and analyze the current water hygiene standards in China with international standards, in order to provide a reference for the formulation and implementation of China's water hygiene standards.

Overview of Current Water Hygiene Standards in Our Country

According to the provisions of the (GB 5749-2022), the quality of drinking water should meet the following requirements: good sensory properties, chemical indicators meet the standard, microbiological indicators are qualified, toxicological indicators are safe, and disinfection effect is reliable. Among them, sensory properties include color, turbidity, odor and taste, visible matter, water temperature, pH value, etc.; chemical indicators include total hardness, hardness, alkalinity, total chlorine, total coliforms, etc.; microbiological indicators include total bacterial count, total coliforms, total coliforms index, thermotolerant coliforms, etc.; toxicological indicators include lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nitrates, etc. The current water hygiene standards in our country play an important role in ensuring water quality safety and protecting public health.

Overview of International Water Hygiene Standards

Internationally, organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank have established the , which provides a reference for water hygiene standards for countries. According to this standard, the quality of drinking water should meet the following requirements: good sensory properties, chemical indicators meet the standard, microbiological indicators are qualified, and toxicological indicators are safe. Sensory properties include color, turbidity, odor and taste, visible matter, water temperature, pH value, etc.; chemical indicators include total hardness, hardness, alkalinity, total chlorine, total coliforms, etc.; microbiological indicators include total bacterial count, total coliforms, total coliforms index, thermotolerant coliforms, etc.; toxicological indicators include lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nitrates, etc. International water hygiene standards have a high authority and scientific nature in ensuring water quality safety and protecting public health.

3. Comparison between the current Chinese water hygiene standards and international standards

Sensory properties: The current Chinese water hygiene standards are consistent with international standards in terms of sensory properties, which include color, turbidity, odor and taste, visible matter, water temperature, pH value, and others. However, in terms of water temperature, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require water temperature to be between 15-25℃, while the international standard does not specify specific requirements for water temperature. In terms of odor and taste, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require no unusual odor or taste, while the international standard requires no unusual odor, taste, or unpleasant.

Chemical indicators: The current Chinese water hygiene standards are consistent with international standards in terms of chemical indicators, which include total hardness, hardness, alkalinity, total chlorine, total coliforms, and others. However, in terms of total hardness, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require total hardness not to exceed 450mg/L, while the international standard does not specify specific requirements for total hardness. In terms of total chlorine, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require total chlorine not to exceed 1.0mg/L, while the international standard requires total chlorine not to exceed 0.5mg/L.

Microbiological indicators: The current Chinese water hygiene standards are consistent with international standards in terms of microbiological indicators, which include total bacterial count, total coliforms, coliform index, thermotolerant coliforms, and others. However, in terms of total bacterial count, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require total bacterial count not to exceed 100cfu/mL, while the international standard also requires total bacterial count not to exceed 100cfu/mL. In terms of total coliforms, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require total coliforms not to exceed 3 per 100mL, while the international standard also requires total coliforms not to exceed 3 per 100mL.

Toxicological indicators: The current Chinese water hygiene standards are consistent with international standards in terms of toxicological indicators, which include lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nitrates, and others. However, in terms of lead, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require lead concentration not to exceed 0.01mg/L, while the international standard also requires lead concentration not to exceed 0.01mg/L. In terms of arsenic, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require arsenic concentration not to exceed 0.05mg/L, while the international standard also requires arsenic concentration not to exceed 0.05mg/L. In terms of mercury, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require mercury concentration not to exceed 0.001mg/L, while the international standard also requires mercury concentration not to exceed 0.001mg/L. In terms of cadmium, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require cadmium concentration not to exceed 0.005mg/L, while the international standard also requires cadmium concentration not to exceed 0.005mg/L. In terms of chromium, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require chromium concentration not to exceed 0.05mg/L, while the international standard also requires chromium concentration not to exceed 0.05mg/L. In terms of nitrates, the current Chinese water hygiene standards require nitrate concentration not to exceed 10mg/L, while the international standard also requires nitrate concentration not to exceed 10mg/L.

IV. Analysis of the differences between the current water hygiene standards in China and international standards

Total hardness: The current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for total hardness, while international standards do not have specific requirements for total hardness. This may be due to the fact that the hardness of China's water resources is high, and specific requirements need to be made for total hardness to ensure the safety of water quality. International standards do not have specific requirements for total hardness, which may be due to the developers of international standards believing that total hardness has a smaller impact on water quality, or that the methods for measuring total hardness are not accurate enough.

Total chlorine: The current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for total chlorine, while international standards do not have specific requirements for total chlorine. This may be due to the fact that the current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for total chlorine to ensure the disinfection effect of drinking water. International standards do not have specific requirements for total chlorine, which may be due to the developers of international standards believing that total chlorine has a smaller impact on water quality, or that the methods for measuring total chlorine are not accurate enough.

Total bacterial count: The current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for the total bacterial count, while international standards do not have specific requirements for the total bacterial count. This may be due to the fact that the current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for the total bacterial count to ensure the hygienic safety of drinking water. International standards do not have specific requirements for the total bacterial count, which may be due to the developers of international standards believing that the total bacterial count has a smaller impact on water quality, or that the methods for measuring the total bacterial count are not accurate enough.

Lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nitrates: The current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for these indicators, while international standards do not have specific requirements for these indicators. This may be due to the fact that the current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for these indicators to ensure the safety of drinking water. International standards do not have specific requirements for these indicators, which may be due to the developers of international standards believing that these indicators have a smaller impact on water quality, or that the methods for measuring these indicators are not accurate enough.

V. Conclusion

The current water hygiene standards in China are consistent with international standards in terms of sensory characteristics, chemical indicators, microbiological indicators, and toxicological indicators, but there are differences in indicators such as total hardness, total chlorine, total bacterial count, and lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nitrates, etc. The current water hygiene standards in China have specific requirements for these indicators to ensure the safety of drinking water. However, international standards do not have specific requirements for these indicators, which may be due to the fact that the developers of international standards believe that these indicators have a smaller impact on water quality, or that the methods for measuring these indicators are not accurate enough. Therefore, there are differences between the current water hygiene standards in China and international standards in some aspects, which need to be adjusted and optimized according to the actual situation to ensure the safety and hygiene of drinking water.