IVL to contribute to new WHO guidelines for safe drinking water

Which chemicals need to be monitored to ensure safe drinking water in the future? This question is central as the World Health Organization (WHO) updates its guidelines on drinking water quality. Researchers at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute are to contribute their expert knowledge on new potentially hazardous substances, and the methods used to analyze them.

Knowledge of chemical pollutants in water has increased in recent decades. And improvements in analytical methods make it is possible to detect substances that were previously difficult or impossible to measure. These include PFAS, pharmaceutical residues, pesticides and other chemicals found in surface water, groundwater and drinking water.

When the current guidelines were drawn up, many of the issues in focus today were not on the radar. Plus, the technical capabilities for detecting and measuring chemicals have advanced, says Gunnar Thorsén, researcher and project manager at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

The WHO guidelines are used as a reference in many parts of the world, and form the basis for national regulations and recommendations in many countries. Consequently, these updates will have an impact on how water quality is assessed and monitored in the future.

New risks need to be identified

IVL’s remit is to update information on previously known contaminants, and to identify which substances should be prioritized in the updated guidelines, and which analytical methods are best suited to monitoring them.

Particular focus will be placed on so-called persistent, mobile and toxic substances – chemicals that spread easily in the aquatic environment and can lead to long-term exposure for both humans and ecosystems. PFAS are a well-known example, but the researchers will also examine pharmaceutical residues, pesticides and other substances that are not currently covered by many national guidelines.

We need to understand which substances pose the greatest risk and which methods are actually effective for monitoring them in the aquatic environment. It’s not just about cutting-edge research; the methods also need to be usable in practice, says Gunnar Thorsén.

Must work globally

An important part of the work will be to assess which analytical methods are sufficiently reliable and, at the same time, are realistic for use in different parts of the world, even where access to advanced laboratory equipment is limited.

The researchers will also evaluate the potential of sensors, machine learning and other AI-based tools for monitoring water quality.

We are seeing rapid developments where sensors, digital monitoring and AI can complement traditional analytical methods. In the long term, this could enable faster and more cost-effective ways of monitoring water quality and detecting problems in time, says Sina Borzooei, researcher at IVL.

The aim is to provide the WHO with a scientific basis that can be used when the organization draws up the next generation of guidelines for drinking water quality.

Access to clean and safe drinking water is a fundamental prerequisite for human health. By contributing to the update of the WHO guidelines, we can help ensure that more people have safe access to water in much of the world, says Gunnar Thorsén.

For more information, contact:
Gunnar Thorsén, gunnar.thorsen@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 66 55