WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/ESP/30 
28 March 2006 
 (06-1391) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  SPAIN
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Subdirección General de Sanidad Ambiental y Salud Laboral  
(Subdirectorate-General for Enviro nmental and Occupational Health) 
Dirección General de Salud Pública  (Directorate-General of Public Health) 
Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo  (Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs) 
Pº del Prado, 18-20 28071 Madrid E-mail: sgsasl@msc.es
 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and Web site addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X  ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applic able, otherwise national tariff heading.  
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Substances and 
preparations for the purification of, and surface-cleaning products in contact with, water for 
consumption 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Orden SCO sobre 
sustancias para el tratamiento del agua d estinada a la producción de agua de consumo 
humano  (Order of the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs on substances used to treat 
water intended for the production of water for human consumption) (22 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   The notified Order seeks to protect public health by ensuring the 
proper use of substances for treating water in tended for the production of water for human 
consumption and to update A nnex II to Royal Decree No. 140/2003 on substances used in 
the treatment of water. 
This Order applies to all products (substances a nd preparations) added to water or used in 
treatment processes for water intended for the production of water for human consumption 
and the distribution thereof, to process-water u sed in the food industry, and to all products 
used in maintenance of the supply of, and th e cleaning of surfaces and equipment that come 
into contact with, water for human consumption. 
Key terms:  Drinking water, purification, chemicals. G/TBT/N/ESP/30 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of consumer interests. 
Royal Decree ( Real Decreto ) No. 140/2003 of 7 February 2003 establishes the sanitary 
criteria for the quality of water intended fo r human consumption and incorporates into 
Spanish legislation Council Directive 98/83/EC  of 3 November on the quality of water 
intended for human consumption. 
The main objective of this regulation is to pr otect human health by guaranteeing the safe use 
of substances for treating water intende d for the production of water for human 
consumption. 
Article 9 on substances used in the treatment of water states that any substance or 
preparation added to water must comply with th e UNE-EN Standard in force at that time.  
To this end, Annex II makes reference to th e UNE-EN Standards on substances used in the 
treatment of water for human consumption. 
Given the existence of certain limitations with regard to the application of these criteria and 
the need to update the list of substances in Annex II, it has been considered appropriate to 
lay down national requirements relating to their use, on the basis of the precautionary principle, to ensure that none of the substances used in the treatment or distribution of water 
intended for human consumption, or the impuriti es associated with such substances, remain 
in concentrations higher than those required for them to meet their objectives in order to 
prevent them from constituting, either directly  or indirectly, a public health hazard. 
The above reasons justify the need to update  Annex II to Royal Decree No. 140/2003 of 
7 February 2003 establishing the sanitary crite ria for the quality of water intended for 
human consumption. 
In addition to updating Annex II to Royal Decree No. 140/2003, this regulation repeals the 
Resolution of 23 April 1984 adopting the positiv e list of additives and technological aids 
authorized for the treatment of drinking water for public consumption. 
This Order is issued in exercise of the powers conferred by the first final provision of Royal 
Decree No. 140/2003 of 7 February 2003.  The sectors and bodies concerned and the Autonomous Communities were consulted in th e drafting of this document, following the 
issue of the mandated report of the Interministerial Commission for Food Legislation. 
The reason for the urgency of this procedure is that the chemical industry, water purification 
plant managers and the health authority are waiting for the use of certain products on the 
market to be authorized. 
8. Relevant documents:   Real Decreto 140/2003, de 7 de febrer o, por el que se establecen los 
criterios sanitarios de la calidad del agua de consumo humano (t ransposición de la 
Directiva 98/83/CE)  (Royal Decree No. 140/2003 of 7 February 2003 establishing the 
sanitary criteria for the quality of water in tended for human consumption (transposition of 
Council Directive 98/83/EC). 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  
Proposed date of entry into force:   The day following publication in the Boletín 
Oficial del Estado  (Official Journal) 
September 2005 
10. Final date for comments:   31 July 2005  G/TBT/N/ESP/30 
 Page 3 
 
 
  11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X ], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and E-mail and Web site add resses, if available, of other body: