Desalination decision for Israel
March 24, 2011
The Israeli Ministry of Health has announced that it intends to require water providers to supplement desalinated water with magnesium in order to prevent the potential adverse effects of magnesium deficiency.
The relationship between water hardness (mainly attributable to calcium and magnesium content) and mortality rates from cardiovascular disease has been a topic of research for several decades.
An expert meeting convened by the World Health Organization in 2006 concluded that considerable knowledge gaps still existed that hampered definitive resolution of the question. To date, WHO has not set guidelines for minimum levels of these minerals for drinking water supplies.
You can read more about this in issue 61 of WQRA's public health newsletter HealthStream. The reference for the WHO guidelines is listed below.
*Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking Water: Public Health Significance. World Health Organisation 2009. ISBN: 9789241563550 Available from www.who.int. Refer also to Health Stream Issue 41 for a report on the 2003 WHO meeting on Nutrients in Drinking Water.
