The biggest change in the new standards is that 106 quality indicators need to be met, compared with 35 in 1985. They include detecting most agricultural pesticides, various environmental endocrine and persistent chemicals that threaten human health.
E Xueli, researcher of CTR for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "It was reasonable to only use 35 quality indicators in 1985 because there were less pollutants being used. Industry was not as developed and less pesticide was used in agriculture. But China has experienced massive development during the past 20 years--sometimes at the cost of the environment, so more quality indicators are needed now to ensure safe drinking water."
In addition, the new standards require better disinfectant measures, such as ozonization, widely used in the developed countries. According to the Ministry of Health, the new standard will make China’s drinking water standards match developed countries.