Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration approved the release of the "Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water" GB 5749-2022, which will be implemented on April 1, 2023.

The current  GB 5749-2006 "Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water" was jointly issued by the former Ministry of Health and the National Standards Committee in December 2006, and was implemented on July 1, 2007.  In recent years' application, some problems have gradually been reflected. Therefore, from March 2018 to the present, the National Health Commission has jointly carried out a new round of standard revision with relevant ministries and commissions. This revision of the standard makes the scope of the standard more clearly stated, updates the normative reference documents, amends and improves or adds or deletes the terms and definitions of centralized water supply, small centralized water supply, secondary water supply, factory water, terminal water, conventional indicators and extended indicators, and makes editorial changes to the text of some clauses in the full text. On this basis, compared with GB 5749—2006, the main contents of the revision are: 1. Adjustment of the number of indicators. The water quality indicators in the standard text are adjusted from 106 items in GB 5749—2006 to 97 items. The revised text includes 43 conventional indicators and 54 extended indicators. Among them, 4  indicators were added, including perchlorate, sethoxydim, 2- methylisoborneol and geosmin; 13  indicators were deleted, including heat-resistant coliform group, trichloroacetaldehyde, sulfide, cyanogen chloride (measured in  CN-), hexachloride (total amount), parathion, methyl parathion, lindane, DDT, formaldehyde, 1,1,1- trichloroethane, 1,2-dichlorobenzene and ethylbenzene.

2.Adjustment of the index classification method

According to the characteristics of water quality indicators, the index classification method is adjusted from  GB 5749-2006 's " conventional indicators and unconventional indicators" to " conventional indicators and extended indicators". The revised index classification expression is more accurate and avoids ambiguity. Among them, conventional indicators refer to water quality indicators that reflect the basic conditions of drinking water quality; extended indicators refer to indicators that reflect the characteristics of regional drinking water quality and the water quality conditions within a certain period of time or under special circumstances.

3. Adjustment of index limits

Based on the monitoring significance of water quality indicators and the latest research results in human health effects or toxicology, and in combination with my country's actual conditions, the limits of 8  indicators have been adjusted, including nitrate (measured in  N ), turbidity, permanganate index (measured in  O2), free chlorine, boron, vinyl chloride, trichloroethylene and dimethoate.

4. Adjustment of indicator names

According to the meanings of water quality indicators, the names of 2 indicators were adjusted, including oxygen consumption (CODMn method, calculated in  O₂) and ammonia nitrogen (calculated in  N).

5. Adjustment of indicator classification

Based on the monitoring significance, detection status and concentration levels of water quality indicators, the classification of 11  indicators was adjusted, including monobromodichloromethane, dibromodichloromethane, bromoform, trihalomethane (the sum of chloroform, dibromodichloromethane, dibromodichloromethane and bromoform), dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, ammonia (measured in N ), selenium, carbon tetrachloride, volatile phenols (measured in phenol) and anionic synthetic detergents.

6.Added the requirement of deducting 40K from the total β radioactive index before conducting radionuclide analysis and evaluation, and the applicability of the microcystin-LR index. Potassium is an essential element for the human body, and the total β radioactive determination includes potassium-40. Based on the consideration that the screening level of potassium-40 should be excluded when evaluating the comprehensive carcinogenic risk of the total β radioactive index, this revision clarifies that if the total β radioactive index is still greater than 1 Bq/L after deducting potassium-40, radionuclide analysis and evaluation should be carried out to determine whether it is drinkable.

each gram of natural potassium contains  31.2 Bq/g  of potassium -40, which can be used to calculate the contribution of potassium -40  to the total β activity concentration. Based on the consideration that the risk of exposure to microcystin -LR  is only possible when an algal bloom occurs, this revision adjusts the expression of microcystin -LR  to microcystin -LR (when an algal bloom occurs) to make the expression more targeted.

7. Delete the interim provisions on some water quality indicators and limits for small-scale centralized water supply and decentralized water supply. Taking into account the current drinking water quality conditions in urban and rural areas of my country, this revision deleted the transitional requirements in Table  4 “Some water quality indicators and limits for small-scale centralized water supply and decentralized water supply” of  GB 5749—2006 . At the same time, in combination with the current status of small-scale centralized water supply and decentralized water supply in my country, due to the limitations of water sources and water purification technology, transitional requirements are retained for four indicators, including total colony count, fluoride, nitrate (measured in N) and turbidity. 8. Improve the requirements for drinking water source quality In view of the actual situation that the water quality of drinking water sources in some areas of my country cannot temporarily meet the requirements of the corresponding national standards but must be used due to limited conditions, this revision improves the requirements for drinking water source quality, and proposes that when the water quality of the water source cannot meet the corresponding requirements, but "it needs to be used due to limited conditions, it should be treated with the corresponding purification process, and the water quality after treatment should meet the requirements of this document." 9.

 In view of the fact that it is not appropriate to put forward administrative requirements in technical standards, this revision deleted the relevant requirements. At the same time, the relevant content of “”  in  GB 5749—2006 was deleted.

10. Adjustment of water quality reference indicators in Appendix  A The water quality reference indicators in Appendix  A (informative) are adjusted from  28  of  GB 5749—2006  to  55 . 29 new indicators were added, including vanadium, hexachloride (total amount), parathion, methyl parathion, lindane, DDT, trichlorfon, methyl thiophanate, rice blast, trifluralin, metalaxyl, simethoxam, acetamidophos, formaldehyde, chloroacetaldehyde, cyanogen chloride (in terms of CN-), nitrosodimethylamine, iodoacetic acid, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, ethylbenzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, iodide, sulfide, uranium and radium-226; 2 indicators were deleted, including The names of  2  indicators were modified, including dibromoethylene and nitrite; the limit value of  1  indicator was adjusted to be petroleum (total amount). GB5749 Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water (Draft for Approval).pdf

        Explanation on the Preparation of Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water.pdf