National Institute of Public Health, Srobarova 48, Prague, CZ, 10000, Czech Republic.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2020 Apr;112:104589. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104589. Epub 2020 Jan 30.
Very low or very high concentrations of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) or total hardness in drinking water have been empirically recognized as the cause of the problems with corrosion, scaling, or taste of water. A large body of scientific evidence over the last 60 years has also attributed health problems to both extremes of these minerals in water. For example, drinking water low in Mg significantly increases the likelihood of cardiovascular mortality. This knowledge is not properly considered in the drinking water quality regulations, especially as more and more water is now produced by desalination disturbing its natural mineral composition. Although the current EU Drinking Water Directive does not include limits for hardness, Ca or Mg, most member states regulate these parameters either through law (12 countries) or technical guidance (7 countries), and several countries have issued educational information for the public. However, the regulations in most countries are not based on current research and not comparable because some provide a recommended range while others provide mandatory minimum or maximum limit values. This summary of the situation in 28 European Union countries is intended to provide information that can contribute to the implementation of the revised EU Directive.
饮用水中极低或极高浓度的钙 (Ca) 和镁 (Mg) 或总硬度已被经验性地认为是导致腐蚀、结垢或水味问题的原因。在过去的 60 年中，大量的科学证据也将这些矿物质在水中的两个极端与健康问题联系起来。例如，饮用低镁水会显著增加心血管死亡率的可能性。然而，这些知识并没有在饮用水质量法规中得到适当考虑，特别是因为现在越来越多的水是通过脱盐产生的，这扰乱了其天然的矿物质组成。尽管目前的欧盟饮用水指令不包括硬度、Ca 或 Mg 的限值，但大多数成员国通过法律（12 个国家）或技术指南（7 个国家）来监管这些参数，并且有几个国家为公众发布了教育信息。然而，大多数国家的法规都不是基于当前的研究，而且也不可比，因为一些国家提供了推荐范围，而另一些国家则提供了强制性的最低或最高限值。本报告对 28 个欧盟国家的情况进行了总结，旨在提供有助于实施经修订的欧盟指令的信息。
