Environmental Health in Israel | 2014

Research on the Chemical Quality of Drinking Water in Israel There have been very few published studies on the chemical quality of drinking water in Israel. In 2010, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Water Authority, and Mekorot – Israel National Water Company, published findings showing that the organic drug carbamazepine can be used to accurately estimate the probability that a drinking water well has been contaminated by wastewater. Progress and Challenges  As a result of the 2013 Drinking Water Standards, there has been major progress in increasing transparency and timely reporting of data on drinking water quality. The MoH website includes quarterly results on the microbial and chemical quality of drinking water in water sources and in municipal water supplies. The website also includes a database with information on health effects of drinking water contaminants currently regulated in Israel.  The new Drinking Water Standards partially address the issue of chemical mixtures by requiring that total chemical parameters within a contaminant group (pesticides, metals, or industrial organic pollutants) relative to each maximum contaminant concentration not exceed 1.5. This is an important precedent for environmental health policy in Israel.  By 2015, 30% of the drinking water in Israel is expected to be desalinated. Reductions in intake of magnesium due to the introduction of desalinated water could potentially increase risks for various adverse health effects, for example cardiac abnormalities and hypertension. Given the increasing dependence on desalinated water in Israel, further research is needed to monitor the impact of desalination on calcium and magnesium intake and on public health in general.  As of August 2014, fluoridation will not be required by law. The impact of discontinued fluoridation on dental health, especially in children from lower socioeconomic groups, will be evaluated.    To date in Israel, there are no regulations or standards which limit the content of lead and other metals in pipes, faucets, and other materials that come in contact with drinking water. This is in contrast to US legislation and a voluntary program in selected European countries (Germany, France, England, the Netherlands). According to current regulations, materials in contact with drinking water are tested according to Israeli standard 5452, which tests migration of metals from new products. The MoH is currently working with representatives from the Standards Institution of Israel and with industry representatives to develop a standard that will limit the lead content of materials in contact with drinking water.  The herbicides atrazine and simazine are present in approximately 14% of drinking water sources in Israel, albeit in concentrations that are far below the current standard. Despite decisions by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to reduce agricultural and municipal use of atrazine and to ban agricultural use of simazine, these chemicals and their breakdown products are expected to persist in drinking water sources in Israel for decades. Environmental Health in Israel 2014  Chapter 4 - 34 -