Boil Water Advisories

In Canada, ‘The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality’ are established by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water and subsequently published by Health Canada [2]>but boil water advisories are issued at the provincial/territorial or local level. Depending on the jurisdiction, the term ‘boil water order’ and ‘boil water notice’ may be used instead of, or in conjunction, with the term ‘boil water advisory’. Boil water advisories are issued either as a precaution or in response to a waterborne disease. For example, precautionary boil water advisory may be issued when local emergency repairs in the distribution system are needed. Additionally, a boil water order is often issued in response to evidence indicating that drinking water is or may be responsible for an outbreak of illness [3]. Boil water orders are issued when microbes like E.coli bacteria or Giardia parasites may be present in drinking water [4]. Boil water advisories may also be issued in response to unacceptable levels in the cloudiness (turbidity) in the water at its originating source [5]. During a boil water advisory/order the public is advised to boil tap water used for drinking, preparing food, beverages, ices cubes, washing fruits or vegetables, or brushing teeth [6].