§ Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the limits of chlorine and chlorinated substances imposed by the current European Council drinking water regulations. [26394]
§ Mr. AtkinsThe EC drinking water directive— 80/778/EEC—does not include a maximum admissible concentration for chlorine. Persistent organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls are included within the pesticides and related products parameter and maximum admissible concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 microgram per litre apply for individual and total substances respectively. There are no maximum admissible concentrations for other organochlorine compounds although there is a comment that haloform—trihalomethanes— concentrations must be as low as possible.
The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 set standards of 100 microgram per litre for total trihalomethanes and 3, 30 and 10 microgram per litre for the chlorinated solvents tetrachloromethane, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethane respectively in addition to those required by the EC directive.