Water

Water is essential for life and health. As a food in its own right, water for human consumption must be distributed on a continual basis in sufficient quantities, and should pose no risks to human health. In France, 30,000 catchments produce 18.5 million m3 of drinking water each day (1) . Water safety is a priority for the Agency, and we are an active player in ensuring its safety from source to tap. Water is one of the ten strategic policy initiatives of the Agency's Goals and Resources contract.

The Agency helps safeguard public health through its work in the domain of water, including:

· water intended for human consumption: the public water supply (tap water), packaged water (spring water, natural mineral water and water made drinkable through treatment) and private well water used for drinking;

· water used in food production (in collaboration with other units of the Agency): drinking water for farm animals, water used in the food processing industry as a food ingredient or to clean food;

· water from other sources whose use may pose a risk for human health: reuse of treated wastewater, desalination of sea water, rainwater collection, etc.

To complete these missions, the Agency is aided by:

· the Water risk assessment unit of the Department for the assessment of nutritional and health risks
· collective expert assessment from the Scientific Panel on water and various working groups
· scientific and technical support from the Agency's laboratories, particularly the Nancy Laboratory for study and research on hydrology.

From source to tap

Agency's missions:
· helping draw up regulations, standards and technical guides at the national and European level;
· assessing the health hazards associated with the presence in water of microorganisms (Cryptosporidium sp., viruses, cyanobacteria, Pseudomonas sp., yeasts and moulds, etc.) and chemical contaminants (aluminium, arsenic, nitrates, algal toxins, human and veterinary medicinal product residues, etc.);
· assessing the safety and effectiveness of products and processes used to treat water intended for human consumption (orthophosphates, membranes, ion exchange resins, UV rays, filter media, etc.);
· assessing the safety of materials and objects used in stationary production, treatment and supply systems for water intended for human consumption (nickel, chrome or tin plating, for example);
· conducting research in relation to water (studies of disinfection by-products in drinking water networks, evaluation of the stability of packaging materials used for bottled water, etc.);
· assessing changes to practices that have emerged under sustainable development policies (installation of hydroelectric turbines on mains pipes, modification of treatment sectors with the recirculation of filter washing water) and water scarcity policies (desalination of sea water, etc.).

In its capacity as a National reference laboratory, the Agency can be asked by the French government to assess and clarify laboratory analysis results that are non-compliant to standards or which contradict each other.

(1) L'eau potable en France 2005-2006 (2008)
On the website of the French Ministry for Health, Youth, Sports and Associations

February 2010