Safety of Drinking Water in Korea

국내 음용수의 안전성

The present standard of drinking water quality is not reached to the guidelines of WHO and US EPA recommended. The appraisal of safety is not appropriate by the results of intermittent and limitted analysis. 45 items of drinking water quality are regulated in the Korean standard and 9 items for inspection designated by Seoul City. This report is the results of analysis of the water quality in the water stations of Seoul which are concerned with the items of Korean water quality standard and the priolity pollutnats recommended by WHO. In the results, 45 items of water quality, and the priolity pollutants were not exceeded to the standard and criteria, while DDT, heptachlor-epoxide, THMs, benzo(a)pyrene, Ba, Al, Gross beta, $^{226}$Ra, $^{90}$Sr were detected, the levels were not exceeded to the WHO guidelines. In ordes to evalute the safety of drinking water quality, besides of the existed items of standard, new hazardouse pollutants should be considered monitored continenously. For the regulation of hazardous pollutants, it may be introduced from the risk assessment. According to the relevant assessment, the acceptable risk of pollutants estimated could be applied to set the water quality standard or recommendations or quidelines as well as the number of monitoring.