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Report of the
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Environment
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Report of the
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Environment
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| Note: | The NHMRC-NRMMC Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004 specify permissible levels of inorganic chemicals impacting on health in drinking water and sampling requirements. |
| Source: | Sydney Water and Hunter Water Corporations (Quarterly Reports) and NSW Health Drinking Water Monitoring Program (Database). |
Drinking water supplies in NSW are monitored for several specific inorganic chemicals, which may result in health effects or spoil aesthetics, giving the appearance of dirty water. The inorganic chemicals that present the greatest health risks are lead, copper, nitrite and nitrate.
Lead is a cumulative poison that can severely affect the central nervous system. Lead may be present in drinking water as a result of the corrosion of household plumbing containing lead. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004 recommend that the concentration of lead in drinking water should not exceed 0.01 mg/L, and performance is considered acceptable if 95% of results meet this value (NHMRC, 2004).
Water testing results from both Sydney Water and Hunter Water Corporations indicate that the guideline value was met in 100% of samples taken in both 2004 and 2005. In rural and regional NSW the guideline value was met in 98% of samples taken in 2004 and 99% of samples taken in 2005.
Copper is an essential trace element but in high concentrations may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Water with low pH and hardness may cause corrosion of copper pipes and fittings and consequently increase the concentration of copper in drinking water. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004 recommend that the concentration of copper in drinking water should not exceed 2.0 mg/L based on health considerations (NHMRC, 2004).
Water testing results from Hunter Water Corporation, indicate that the guideline value was met in 100% of the samples taken in 2004 and 2005. Results for Sydney Water Corporation show that the Guideline value was met in 99.7% and 100% of samples in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Results for regional and rural water supplies show that the Guideline value was met in 99% and 100% of samples in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Nitrate and nitrite ions are naturally occurring oxides of nitrogen and are part of the nitrogen cycle. Intensification of farming practices and sewage effluent disposal to streams have led to increasing amounts of nitrate in some waters. Toxicity of nitrate to humans is due to its reduction to nitrite. Nitrite is involved in the oxidation of normal haemoglobin to methaemoglobin, which is unable to transport oxygen to the tissues. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004 recommend that the concentration of nitrate and nitrite in drinking water should not exceed 50 mg/L and 3 mg/L respectively (NHMRC, 2004).
Water testing results from Sydney Water Corporation, Hunter Water Corporation, and regional and rural water supplies indicate that the guideline values were met in 100% of the samples taken in 2004 and 2005.
| For more information: |
National Health and Medical Research Council and Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2004. Canberra: NHMRC, 2004. Available at: www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/eh19syn.htm. Department of Environment and Conservation. New South Wales State of the Environment 2003. Sydney: Department of Environment and Conservation, 2003. Available at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/SOE/soe2003/index.htm. The next edition of the report is expected at the end of 2006. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your Web browser, a higher quality version of this entire page (graph, table and text) is available as an Acrobat PDF file which can be printed or viewed on screen using free software. |
| Downloadable files: | The data contained in the table on this page are available for download as a CSV file which can be imported into many software packages. The graph is available for download as an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file and as an EMF (Enhanced Metafile Format) file. Files in these formats can be imported into most word processing, presentation and graphics software packages. |
| Copyright notice: | This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited. |
| Suggested citation: | Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales - Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/env/env_watinorg.htm. Accessed (insert date of access). |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 16 October 2006 |
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