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New rules for the protection of public health with regard toradioactive substances in water
The Council adopted a directive laying down requirements for the protection of the health of the general public with regard to radioactive substances in water intended for human consumption. It sets out parametric values, frequencies and methods for monitoring radioactive substances (7445/3/13).
Water is one of the most comprehensively regulated areas of EU environmental legislation.European water policy began in the 1970s with the adoption of political programmes as well as legally binding legislation. The ingestion of water is one of the pathways of incorporation of radioactive substances into the human body.
The new directive provides for the establishment of monitoring programmes run by each member state to ensure that water intended for human consumption meets the requirements of this directive. The monitoring will include testing for radon, tritium and the establishment of the indicative dose. Natural mineral waters and waters which are deemed as medicinal products are excluded from the scope of this directive as special provisions for those types of water were established in directive 2009/54/EC and directive 2001/83/EC.
Furthermore, the directive provides for remedial action and notification as the general public should be adequately informed of the quality of water for human consumption. The new law will enter into force on the twentieth day after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. The member states will have two years after its entry into force to transpose this directive into national legislation.
