The Guideline – Guidance document on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of active substances or their metabolites in water abstracted for the production of drinking water, EFSA Journal 2023; 21(8):8194 – of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will be applicable to the processes of active substances, submitted as of 1 April 2026. As a result, all products based on substances already evaluated according to the guidelines will be subject to the same evaluation.
The document provides for a mandatory thorough assessment for active substances and their metabolites that exceed the threshold of 0.1 μg/L not only in groundwater, but also in surface water, when the latter is used as a source of water intended for human consumption. While the focus on groundwater was already consolidated in the evaluation practice, the systematic extension to surface water represents a significant novelty, with a potentially very significant impact on the regulatory sustainability of several products.