Water
What drinking-water guideline values for metals were verified?
The corpus records three WHO drinking-water values as checked through other agency documents: lead 10 µg/L provisional, cadmium 3 µg/L, and nickel 70 µg/L. Arsenic, chromium, and mercury values in the same guideline were not re-read and are not stated. These are guideline figures, not measurements of a tap.
Values used
Cobalt: the ATSDR 2024 profile, as recorded in the corpus, says WHO has no guideline value. WHO GDWQ.
| Metal | Value | How it was checked |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | 10 µg/L, provisional | Corpus, via ATSDR lead profile (2020) |
| Cadmium | 3 µg/L | Corpus, via ATSDR cadmium draft (2026) |
| Nickel | 70 µg/L | Corpus, cited in EFSA 2020 |
Related pages
Sources
Heavy Metal Index
Heavy Metal Index: water. This Heavy Metal Index URL returned HTTP 200 on 15 October 2026. Figures on this page are not copied from that index. They come from the sources named above.
What's safe to buy
The Heavy Metal Tested and Certified public register listed no licensees on 15 October 2026. That page reported 0 certified brands and 0 certified products, and it stated that no brand has completed the three-lot baseline. A specimen layout on the register is an illustration, not a licensee. This page does not name or rank any brand.
The program states that certification is a measurement of a product against a published limit, not a statement that the product is safe. If a licensee is later listed for this category, it will be on the register.
This page summarizes cited documents. It does not diagnose or prescribe. Reviewed 15 October 2026.