Water intake rate among the general Korean population

Public concerns about water pollution have led to the assessment of risks associated with waterborne pollutants. The water intake rate is a key exposure factor that needs to be employed in the risk assessment of water contaminants. However, water consumption patterns vary considerably due to many factors, including region, culture, and time. Because limited information is available on the water intake rate in Asian countries, we carried out a nationwide survey using an online questionnaire to assess the direct tap water and beverage consumption within the general Korean population. To measure seasonal variation in water consumption, this survey was conducted twice, in the spring (n = 1092) and summer (n = 1148) of 2006. Water intake rates were assessed by age, gender, season, and region. The average rate total water intake was 2566.2 ml/day (direct tap water 1015.9 ml/day; beverage 1073.0 ml/day; indirect tap water 477.3 ml/day) in the spring. Indirect tap water intake through the consumption of water-rich dishes occupies 18.5% of average total water intake. In the summer, the average consumption of direct tap water and beverages increased by up to 19.7 and 7.6%, respectively. For the exposure assessment of water related environmental contaminants, a value of 1493 mg/L is proposed as a central tendency value and for a reasonable maximum, a value of 2914 mg/L (90th percentile) is suggested. This exposure factor may be used in regions with geographic and ethnic characteristics similar to Korea.