Environmental and occupational problems of safe water supply

: The paper gives the results of hygienic studies which determine some priorities in formation of unfavourable sanitary conditions of potable water supply in a number of Russian Federation areas. A tendency is shown towards an increase in the content of chemicals with organoleptic and sanitary and toxicological hazards (3-17% rate of increase) in underground and surface water sources, a frequency growth of finding non-standard, by the epidemiological criteria (25%), water test characteristic of areas with intensive industrial and agricultural enterprises. There are risk factors found in the quality of potable water at the stages of water preparation (chlorination) and transportation (corrosion) for human health; data of fundamental studies are given, on hygienic substantiation of ecologically pure methods of water treatment (UV disinfection). Scientific developments have provided the basis for systematizing a number of considerations for basic documents for a law on water protection quality, by revealing and predicting the processes affecting the quality of potable water, improving adequate laboratory water quality monitoring.