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Document ID ca-gcdwqgtd-2015-03-10-2 Title Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – 1,2–Dichloroethane URL https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/guidelines-canadian-drinking-water-quality-guideline-technical-document-1-2-dichloroethane/page-3-guidelines-canadian-drinking-water-quality-guideline-technical-document-1-2-dichloroethane.html Jurisdiction /ca Subdomain(s) Drinking water, Water quality standards Language en Status completed Analyzed at 2026-03-18 13:24:04.671134+00:00 Relevance Technical guideline for 1,2-Dichloroethane in Canadian drinking water.

18 Qualitative 44 Quantitative 77 Definitions

Q Qualitative Requirements (18)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#Q001	operational	operational	recommended	Consideration of operational problems for combined technologies	drinking water	The common operational problems existing with PTA systems and GAC adsorption contactors are similar and should be considered when these combined technologies are employed.	When combining aeration technologies and GAC into a two-step treatment train.	high
#Q002	design	treatment	recommended	Consideration of by-product formation during advanced oxidation	drinking water	The formation of by-products from the oxidation and/or advanced oxidation of 1,2-DCA or other inorganic or organic compounds in the source water should be considered when using these processes.	When using advanced oxidation processes (combinations of chemical oxidants, UV light and catalysts) for water treatment.	high
#Q003	treatment	treatment	recommended	Avoidance of additional residential treatment for municipally treated water	drinking water	Generally, it is not recommended that drinking water treatment devices be used to provide additional treatment to municipally treated water.	When an individual household receives municipally treated water.	high
#Q004	treatment	health	recommended	Use of certified drinking water treatment devices	drinking water	Health Canada does not recommend specific brands of drinking water treatment devices, but it strongly recommends that consumers use devices that have been certified by an accredited certification body as meeting the appropriate NSF International/ American National Standards Institute (ANSI) drinking water treatment unit standards.	When consumers use residential drinking water treatment devices.	high
#Q005	design	treatment	recommended	Preference for point-of-entry treatment systems	drinking water	Point-of-entry systems are preferred for VOCs such as 1,2-DCA, because they provide treated water for bathing and laundry as well as for cooking and drinking.	When choosing a residential filtration system for VOC removal.	high
#Q006	monitoring	treatment	recommended	Periodic testing of residential treatment devices	drinking water	Periodic testing by an accredited laboratory should be conducted on both the water entering the treatment device and the water it produces to verify that the treatment device is effective.	When using a residential drinking water treatment device.	high
#Q007	operational	operational	recommended	Adherence to manufacturer instructions for treatment devices	drinking water	Consumers should follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding the expected longevity of the components in their treatment device.	When operating and maintaining residential drinking water treatment devices.	high
#Q008	administrative	health	mandatory	Ongoing monitoring of new research by Health Canada	drinking water	As part of its ongoing guideline review process, Health Canada will continue to monitor new research in this area and recommend any change(s) to the guideline that it deems necessary.		high
#Q009	treatment	treatment	mandatory	Pretreatment requirement for GAC contactors	drinking water	To prevent the bed from clogging, pretreatment of the water before it enters the GAC contactor is often required (Snoeyink, 1990; Speth, 1990; AWWA, 1991; Crittenden et al., 2005).	When using GAC adsorption contactors for water treatment.	high
#Q010	treatment	treatment	guidance	Off-gas treatment for PTA	drinking water	As PTA transfers VOCs from water to air, treatment of the stripping tower off-gas to reduce the contaminant concentrations prior to discharge into the atmosphere may be necessary (Crittenden et al. 1988; Adams and Clark, 1991).	When using Packed Tower Aeration (PTA) to transfer VOCs from water to air.	high
#Q011	design	treatment	recommended	Site considerations for PTA installation	drinking water	Although the PTA process is effective, site considerations such zoning, column height and noise restrictions should be considered.	When planning the installation of a Packed Tower Aeration system.	high
#Q012	treatment	treatment	guidance	Post-treatment for aeration processes	drinking water	Post treatment, such as the use of a corrosion inhibitor, may also be required to reduce corrosive properties of the water due to increased dissolved oxygen from the aeration process.	Following the aeration process in water treatment.	high
#Q013	treatment	treatment	mandatory	Pretreatment requirement for RO membranes	drinking water	A pretreatment of the feed water is required to prevent scaling and fouling of the RO membranes.	When using Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems for water treatment.	high
#Q014	treatment	operational	guidance	Residential influent pretreatment	drinking water	A consumer may need to pretreat the influent water to reduce the fouling and extend the service life of the membrane.	When a consumer operates a point-of-use reverse osmosis (RO) system.	high
#Q015	operational	operational	guidance	Operating considerations for GAC adsorption contactors	drinking water	Operating considerations may include a need to ensure a proper backwash, maintain the bed depth and bed density after backwashing and control the flow rate.	When operating granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption contactors.	high
#Q016	operational	operational	guidance	Operation of multi-bed GAC systems	drinking water	In systems with multiple beds, the individual beds can be operated beyond the time of initial breakthrough, provided the blended effluent is still below the guideline value.	In GAC systems utilizing multiple beds.	high
#Q017	operational	operational	guidance	Methods to prevent PTA column fouling	drinking water	Methods to prevent the fouling of the column include pH suppression of the influent, using scale inhibitors or iron removal prior to the PTA application.	When using Packed Tower Aeration (PTA) systems to prevent fouling.	high
#Q018	design	treatment	guidance	Design of residential POE systems using certified materials	drinking water	In the case where certified point-of-entry treatment devices are not available for purchase, systems can be designed and constructed from certified materials.	When certified point-of-entry devices are unavailable.	high

P Quantitative Requirements (44)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Limit Type	Limit Value	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#P001	chemical	health	mandatory	1,2-Dichloroethane	drinking water	MAC	0.005 mg/L	Consequently, a MAC of 0.005 mg/L (5 µg/L) for 1,2-DCA is established	Based on an estimated lifetime excess risk of cancers of 10-6	high
#P002	chemical	health	mandatory	1,2-Dichloroethane	drinking water	MAC	5 µg/L	Consequently, a MAC of 0.005 mg/L (5 µg/L) for 1,2-DCA is established	Based on an estimated lifetime excess risk of cancers of 10-6	high
#P003	design	treatment	mandatory	1,2-DCA (NSF/ANSI Standard 53)	drinking water	requirement	0.005 mg/L	For a drinking water treatment device to be certified to NSF/ANSI Standards 53 for the reduction of 1,2-DCA alone, the device must be capable of reduction an average influent concentration of 0.015 mg/L to a maximum of 0.005 mg/L.	Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for reduction of 1,2-DCA alone	high
#P004	design	treatment	mandatory	1,2-DCA (NSF/ANSI Standard 53 surrogate testing)	drinking water	requirement	0.0048 mg/L	For a drinking water treatment device to be certified to NSF/ANSI Standards 53 by surrogate testing, the device must be capable of reduction of an influent concentration of 0.088 mg/L 1,2-DCA to a maximum product water concentration of 0.0048 mg/L	Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 by surrogate testing	high
#P005	design	treatment	mandatory	1,2-DCA (NSF/ANSI Standard 58 surrogate testing)	drinking water	requirement	0.0048 mg/L	For a drinking water treatment device to be certified to NSF/ANSI Standards 58 by surrogate testing, the device must be capable of a 95% reduction of 1,2-DCA, from an influent concentration of 0.088 mg/L to a maximum of 0.0048 mg/L	Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 by surrogate testing (reverse osmosis)	high
#P006	chemical	health	guidance	1,2-Dichloroethane (Non-cancer HBV)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.26 mg/L	The HBV for 1,2-DCA in drinking water for non-cancer effects is derived as follows: HBV = [0.078 mg/kg bw/day × 70 kg × 0.20] / 4.2 L-eq/day = 0.26 mg/L (260 µg/L)	Based on renal tubular regeneration in female F344 rats	high
#P007	chemical	health	guidance	1,2-Dichloroethane (Cancer HBV - 10-5 risk)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.05 mg/L	Table 4: HBV based on the three different estimated risk levels. 10-5 risk level: 0.05 mg/L	Based on lifetime excess risk of 10-5	high
#P008	chemical	health	guidance	1,2-Dichloroethane (Cancer HBV - 10-4 risk)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.5 mg/L	Table 4: HBV based on the three different estimated risk levels. 10-4 risk level: 0.5 mg/L	Based on lifetime excess risk of 10-4	high
#P009	design	treatment	guideline	BAT 1,2-DCA Removal Efficiency	drinking water	treatment_goal	99 %	The U.S. EPA has identified packed tower aeration (PTA) and granular activated carbon (GAC) as the best available technologies (BATs) for 1,2-DCA removal in drinking water and the agency considers a 99% reduction to be achievable under all anticipated conditions	Using PTA or GAC technologies	high
#P010	operational	reporting	mandatory	1,2-Dichloroethane Practical Quantitation Level (PQL)	drinking water	requirement	5 µg/L	The current U.S. EPA practical quantitation level (PQL) for 1,2-DCA is 5 µg/L.		high
#P011	operational	reporting	guidance	Minimum Quantitation Level (Method SM 6200B)	drinking water	requirement	0.22 µg/L	The minimum quantitation levels, defined as the lowest level that can be quantified accurately, are 0.22 µg/L and 0.296 µg/L for methods SM 6200B and SM 6200C respectively.	Defined as the lowest level that can be quantified accurately	high
#P012	operational	reporting	guidance	Minimum Quantitation Level (Method SM 6200C)	drinking water	requirement	0.296 µg/L	The minimum quantitation levels, defined as the lowest level that can be quantified accurately, are 0.22 µg/L and 0.296 µg/L for methods SM 6200B and SM 6200C respectively.	Defined as the lowest level that can be quantified accurately	high
#P013	operational	reporting	guidance	Estimated Quantitation Level (EQL)	drinking water	requirement	0.5 µg/L	EPA retained 0.5 µg/L as an estimated quantitation level (EQL) for 1,2-DCA which is an estimate of the possible lower bound for a PQL and take into consideration laboratory analytical limits nationwide	Estimate of the possible lower bound for a Practical Quantitation Level (PQL)	high
#P014	design	treatment	mandatory	NSF/ANSI Standard 58 Reduction Efficiency	drinking water	requirement	95 %	For a drinking water treatment device to be certified to NSF/ANSI Standards 58 by surrogate testing, the device must be capable of a 95% reduction of 1,2-DCA, from an influent concentration of 0.088 mg/L to a maximum of 0.0048 mg/L	Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 by surrogate testing	high
#P015	operational	health	mandatory	Exposure Significance Threshold	drinking water	requirement	10 %	Both the dermal and inhalation routes of exposure for a VOC are considered significant if they contribute at least 10% of the drinking water consumption level	Applicable to VOC exposure assessment	high
#P016	operational	health	mandatory	Standard Canadian Drinking Water Consumption Rate	drinking water	requirement	1.5 L/day	standard Canadian drinking water consumption rate of 1.5 L/day	Used in multi-route exposure assessment	high
#P017	operational	health	mandatory	Total Litre-equivalent Daily Exposure (1,2-DCA)	drinking water	requirement	4.2 L-eq/day	total litre-equivalent daily exposure to 1,2-DCA in drinking water was estimated to be 4.2 L-eq (rounded)	Accounting for multiroute exposure using PBPK model	high
#P018	operational	reporting	mandatory	Method Detection Limit (MDL) - Method 502.2	drinking water	requirement	0.03 µg/L	Method 502.2 revision 2.1... has a method detection limit (MDL) of 0.03 µg/L.	Using electrolytic conductivity detector (ELCD) and photoionization detector (PID) in series	high
#P019	operational	reporting	mandatory	Method Detection Limit (MDL) - Method 524.3	drinking water	requirement	0.025 µg/L	Method 524.3 is an updated version of method 524.2 and has a detection limit of 0.025 µg/L.	Optimization of purge-and-trap parameters	high
#P020	operational	reporting	mandatory	Method Detection Limit (MDL) - Method 524.2	drinking water	requirement	0.02 - 0.06 µg/L	Depending on the GC column and GC/MS interface used, the method has an MDL range of 0.02 - 0.06 µg/L (U.S. EPA, 1995, 2009a).	Interfaced to a mass spectrometer (MS)	high
#P021	operational	reporting	guidance	Method Detection Limit (MDL) - SM 6200B	drinking water	requirement	0.055 µg/L	Method SM 6200B has a MDL of 0.055 µg/L		high
#P022	operational	reporting	guidance	Method Detection Limit (MDL) - SM 6200C	drinking water	requirement	0.074 µg/L	SM 6200C has a MDL of 0.074 µg/L.		high
#P023	chemical	health	guidance	Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.078 mg/kg bw/day	TDI = [78 mg/kg bw/day] / 1000 = 0.078 mg/kg bw/day	Based on BMDL10 for renal tubular regeneration and uncertainty factor of 1000	high
#P024	operational	health	guidance	Significance Threshold - Skin Permeability Coefficient (Kp)	drinking water	requirement	> 0.024 cm/h	For a tier 1 goal of 0.15 L-eq, the skin permeability coefficient (Kp) for 1,2-DCA should be higher than 0.024 cm/h (Krishnan and Carrier, 2008).	To determine if dermal route of exposure contributes a minimum of 10% of consumption level	high
#P025	operational	health	guidance	Significance Threshold - Air:Water Concentration Factor (Fair:water)	drinking water	requirement	> 0.00063 ratio	for a tier 1 goal of 0.15 L-eq, the average ratio of air to water 1,2-DCA concentration factor (Fair:water) should be greater than 0.00063	To determine if inhalation route contributes at least 10% of consumption level	high
#P026	operational	health	guidance	Dermal Exposure (L-eq) - PBPK Approach	drinking water	requirement	2.06 L-eq	the litre-equivalent contributions for dermal and inhalation exposure were determined to be 2.06 and 0.68 L-eq, respectively.	Calculated using human PBPK model for a 30-minute bathing scenario	high
#P027	operational	health	guidance	Inhalation Exposure (L-eq) - PBPK Approach	drinking water	requirement	0.68 L-eq	the litre-equivalent contributions for dermal and inhalation exposure were determined to be 2.06 and 0.68 L-eq, respectively.	Calculated using human PBPK model for a 30-minute bathing scenario	high
#P028	chemical	health	guidance	1,2-Dichloroethane (Non-cancer HBV - µg/L)	drinking water	treatment_goal	260 µg/L	The HBV for 1,2-DCA in drinking water for non-cancer effects is derived as follows: HBV = 0.26 mg/L (260 µg/L)	Based on renal tubular regeneration	high
#P029	operational	reporting	guidance	Potential Practical Quantitation Level (PQL) Range	drinking water	requirement	0.3 - 0.6 µg/L	The agency determined that the assessment data supported the reduction of the PQL and estimated a lower possible PQL in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 µg/L.	Supported by U.S. EPA assessment of performance evaluation data	high
#P030	operational	health	guidance	Total Daily Exposure (Conservative Approach)	drinking water	requirement	4.6 L-eq/day	Assuming one showering or bathing event per day and adding these values to the standard Canadian drinking water consumption rate of 1.5 L/day, this results in a total daily exposure of 4.6 L-eq (rounded from 4.56 L-eq).	Using two-tier approach (1.63 L-eq dermal and 1.43 L-eq inhalation)	high
#P031	chemical	health	guidance	1,2-Dichloroethane (Cancer HBV - 10-6 risk)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.005 mg/L	Table 4: HBV based on the three different estimated risk levels. 10-6 risk level: 0.005 mg/L	Based on lifetime excess risk of 10-6	high
#P032	operational	health	guidance	Dermal Exposure (L-eq) - Two-tier Approach	drinking water	requirement	1.63 L-eq	Using the two-tier approach, the litre-equivalent were calculated as 1.63 L-eq for the dermal route	Calculated based on skin permeability coefficient of 0.259 cm/h	high
#P033	operational	health	guidance	Inhalation Exposure (L-eq) - Two-tier Approach	drinking water	requirement	1.43 L-eq	Using the two-tier approach, the litre-equivalent were calculated as... 1.43 L-eq for the inhalation route.	Based on calculated air:water concentration factor of 0.00604	high
#P034	design	treatment	mandatory	NSF/ANSI Standard 53 Influent Challenge Concentration	drinking water	requirement	0.015 mg/L	the device must be capable of reduction an average influent concentration of 0.015 mg/L to a maximum of 0.005 mg/L.	Certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for 1,2-DCA alone	high
#P035	design	treatment	mandatory	NSF/ANSI Standard 53/58 Surrogate Influent Challenge Concentration	drinking water	requirement	0.088 mg/L	the device must be capable of reduction of an influent concentration of 0.088 mg/L 1,2-DCA to a maximum product water concentration of 0.0048 mg/L	Certification by surrogate testing	high
#P036	operational	health	guidance	Standard Adult Exposed Skin Area	drinking water	requirement	18000 cm2	A is the area of skin exposed, assumed to be 18 000 cm2 for adults	Used in multi-route dermal exposure calculations	high
#P037	operational	health	guidance	Adult Alveolar Ventilation Rate	drinking water	requirement	675 L/h	Qalv is the adult alveolar ventilation rate, assumed to be 675 L/h	Used in multi-route inhalation exposure calculations	high
#P038	operational	health	guidance	Standard Adult Body Weight	drinking water	requirement	70 kg	70 kg is the average body weight of an adult	Used in health-based value (HBV) derivations	high
#P039	operational	health	mandatory	Allocation Factor (Drinking Water)	drinking water	requirement	0.20 dimensionless	floor allocation factor (20%) of the daily intake allocated to drinking water	Used in the calculation of the MAC and HBV	high
#P040	operational	health	mandatory	Uncertainty Factor (TDI Derivation)	drinking water	requirement	1000 dimensionless	1000 is the uncertainty factor	Applied to BMDL10 for renal tubular regeneration	high
#P041	chemical	health	guidance	Point of Departure (BMDL10)	drinking water	requirement	78 mg/kg bw/day	78 mg/kg bw/day is the BMDL10 for renal tubular regeneration in female F344 rats	Point of departure for non-cancer risk assessment	high
#P042	chemical	health	guidance	Human External Dose (10-6 Risk Level)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.0003 mg/kg bw/day	Table 3: Humans (PBPK approach) 10-6 risk level: 0.0003 mg/kg bw/day	Cancer external human dose based on PBPK approach	high
#P043	chemical	health	guidance	Human External Dose (10-5 Risk Level)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.003 mg/kg bw/day	Table 3: Humans (PBPK approach) 10-5 risk level: 0.003 mg/kg bw/day	Cancer external human dose based on PBPK approach	high
#P044	chemical	health	guidance	Human External Dose (10-4 Risk Level)	drinking water	treatment_goal	0.03 mg/kg bw/day	Table 3: Humans (PBPK approach) 10-4 risk level: 0.03 mg/kg bw/day	Cancer external human dose based on PBPK approach	high

D Definitions (77)

Req ID	Name	Context	Confidence
#D001	1,2-Dichloroethane	1,2-DCA	high
#D002	volatile organic compound	VOC	high
#D003	physiologically based pharmacokinetic	PBPK	high
#D004	electrolytic conductivity detector	ELCD	high
#D005	photoionization detector	PID	high
#D006	mass spectrometer	MS	high
#D007	selected ion monitoring	SIM	high
#D008	practical quantitation level	PQL	high
#D009	estimated quantitation level	EQL	high
#D010	minimum quantitation levels	defined as the lowest level that can be quantified accurately	high
#D011	packed tower aeration	PTA	high
#D012	granular activated carbon	GAC	high
#D013	best available technologies	BATs	high
#D014	powder activated carbon	PAC	high
#D015	natural organic matter	NOM	high
#D016	empty bed contact time	EBCT	high
#D017	Initial breakthrough	defined as the time when the contaminant concentration in the effluent exceeds the treatment objective	high
#D018	reverse osmosis	RO	high
#D019	ultraviolet	UV	high
#D020	Standards Council of Canada	SCC	high
#D021	body weight	bw	high
#D022	glutathione	GSH	high
#D023	deoxyribonucleic acid	DNA	high
#D024	ribonucleic acid	RNA	high
#D025	glutathione transferase	GST	high
#D026	median lethal concentration	LC50	high
#D027	median lethal dose	LD50	high
#D028	no-observed-effect concentration	NOEC	high
#D029	no-observed-effect levels	NOELs	high
#D030	no-observed-adverse-effect level	NOAEL	high
#D031	lowest-observed-adverse-effect level	LOAEL	high
#D032	maximum tolerated dose	MTD	high
#D033	benchmark dose	BMD	high
#D034	health-based value	HBV	high
#D035	tolerable daily intake	TDI	high
#D036	lower confidence limit of the benchmark dose	BMDL	high
#D037	suitable BMDL	defined as a lower 95% confidence limit estimate of dose corresponding to a 1-10% level of risk over background levels.	high
#D038	maximum contaminant level	MCL	high
#D039	public health goal	PHG	high
#D040	litre-equivalents	L-eq	high
#D041	skin permeability coefficient	Kp	high
#D042	average ratio of air to water 1,2-DCA concentration factor	Fair:water	high
#D043	Henry's Law constant	Kaw	high
#D044	adult alveolar ventilation rate	Qalv	high
#D045	method detection limit	MDL	high
#D046	Advanced oxidation processes	refer to the use of combinations of chemical oxidants, ultraviolet (UV) light and catalysts (e.g., O3/H2O2, O3/UV; UV/ H2O2; UV/TiO2; O3/UV/TiO2; O3 oxidation at elevated pH) to generate highly reactive radicals such as hydroxyl radicals, which are strong oxidants and react rapidly and non-selectively with organic contaminants.	high
#D047	American National Standards Institute	ANSI	high
#D048	fraction of dose absorbed	Fabs	high
#D049	area of skin exposed	A	high
#D050	conversion factor	Cf	high
#D051	9000 × g rat liver supernatant	S9	high
#D052	time-weighted average	TWA	high
#D053	ethylene dichloride	1,2-dichloroethane (also known as)	high
#D054	floor allocation factor	default proportion (20%) of the daily intake allocated to drinking water	high
#D055	t	duration of the shower or bath	high
#D056	thiodiglycolic acid	thiodiacetic acid (also called)	high
#D057	Integrated Risk Information System	IRIS	high
#D058	gas chromatography	GC	high
#D059	half sulphur mustard	S-(2-chloroethyl)-glutathione	high
#D060	International Agency for Research on Cancer	IARC	high
#D061	World Health Organization	WHO	high
#D062	microsomal oxidative pathway	also known as cytochrome P450-mediated and mixed-function oxidase pathway	high
#D063	direct conjugation or GSH conjugation pathway	also known as GSH-dependent cytosolic pathway	high
#D064	leukocytosis	increases in white blood cells	high
#D065	gem-chlorohydrin	unstable reactive intermediate	high
#D066	glutathione episulfonium ion	an alkylating agent	high
#D067	BMD10	benchmark dose corresponding to a 10% increase in extra risk over background levels	high
#D068	BMDL10	lower 95% confidence limit estimate of the benchmark dose corresponding to a 10% increase in extra risk over background levels	high
#D069	Standard methods	SM	high
#D070	Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment	OEHHA	high
#D071	National Cancer Institute	NCI	high
#D072	Canadian Chemical Producers' Association	CCPA	high
#D073	Alberta Environmental Centre	AEC	high
#D074	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry	ATSDR	high
#D075	International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials	IAPMO	high
#D076	Water Quality Association	WQA	high
#D077	California Department of Health Services	CDHS	high