Volume 4 of the Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater provides information on the assessment and management of risks associated with microbial hazards. It explains requirements to promote the safe use of excreta and greywater in agriculture, including minimum procedures and specific health-based targets, and how those requirements are intended to be used. This volume also describes the approaches used in deriving the guidelines, including health-based targets, and includes a substantive revision of approaches to ensuring microbial safety

"Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP) is a step-by-step risk based approach to assist in the implementation of the 2006 WHO Guidelines for Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater in Agriculture and Aquaculture. The approach can be applied to all sanitary systems to ensure the system is managed to meet health objectives. SSP assists users to: systematically identify and manage health risk along the sanitation chain; guide investment based on actual risks, to promote health benefits and minimize adverse health impacts; provide assurance to authorities and the public on the safety of sanitation-related products and services. The SSP manual is targeted at a variety of users at different levels including; health authorities and regulators, local authorities, wastewater utility managers, sanitation enterprises and farmers, community based organizations, farmers associations and NGOs. SSP brings together actors from different sectors to identify health risks in the sanitation system and agree on improvements and regular monitoring and underscores the leadership role of the health sector."--Publisher's description.

The third edition of the WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater has been extensively updated to take account of new scientific evidence and contemporary approaches to risk management. The revised Guidelines reflect a strong focus on disease prevention and public health principles. This new edition responds to a growing demand from WHO Member States for guidance on the safe use of wastewater, excreta, and greywater in agriculture and aquaculture. Its target audience includes environmental and public health scientists, researchers, engineers, policy-makers and those responsible for developing standards and regulations. The Guidelines are presented in four separate volumes: Volume 1: Policy and regulatory aspects Volume 2:Wastewater use in agriculture Volume 3: Wastewater and excreta use in aquaculture Volume 4: Excreta and greywater use in agriculture. Volume 1 of the Guidelines presents policy issues and regulatory measures distilled from the technical detail found in volumes 2, 3, and 4. Those faced with the need to expedite the development of policies, procedures, and regulatory frameworks, at national and local government levels, will find the essential information in this volume. It also includes summaries of the other volumes in the series. Volume 2 of the Guidelines explains requirements to promote safe use concepts and practices including health-based targets and minimum procedures. It also covers a substantive revision of approaches to ensuring the microbial safety of wastewater used in agriculture. It introduces health impact assessment of new wastewater projects. Volume 3 of the Guidelines informs readers on the assessment of microbial hazards and toxic chemicals and the management of the associated risks when using wastewater and excreta in aquaculture. It explains requirements to promote safe use practices, including minimum procedures and specific health-based targets. It puts trade-offs between potential risks and nutritional benefits in a wider development context. Volume 4 of the Guidelines focuses exclusively on the safe use f excreta and greywater in agriculture. Recent trends in sanitation, including ecological sanitation, are driven by rapid urbanization. The momentum created by the Millennium Development Goals is resulting in dramatic changes in human waste handling and processing. New opportunities enable the use of human waste as a resource for pro-poor agricultural development, particularly in periurban areas. Best practice to minimize associated health risks is at the heart of this volume.