Which standards are known for having the strictest criteria with the lowest acceptable levels?

Maximum contaminant levels are regulatory limits established by environmental agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for specific pollutants in drinking water. These standards are designed to protect public health by setting enforceable limits for contaminants, ensuring that they are kept at low levels considered safe for human consumption. The criteria involve rigorous scientific assessments of health risks to ascertain the lowest acceptable concentrations of various contaminants in water supplies.

In contrast, criteria maximum concentration (CMC) values and criterion continuous concentration (CCC) values are terms used in water quality standards, primarily for assessing aquatic life protection. CMC values are used for short-term exposures, while CCC values pertain to exposure over a longer period. Both sets of criteria serve to evaluate impacts on ecosystems rather than directly focus on human health impacts.

Standards for saltwater systems, while important, do not have a well-defined regulatory framework similar to maximum contaminant levels for drinking water, emphasizing their different contexts in environmental science. Therefore, maximum contaminant levels distinctly represent the strictest criteria with the lowest acceptable levels specifically designed for human health protection in drinking water.