Find cited limits
find_limitsNumeric limits and guidelines for one substance or measure, read from the regulations themselves (US federal effluent guidelines, the rules of 31 states and DC, Canadian federal and all 13 provinces' and territories' rules, German, French, Italian and EU instruments), drinking-water standards (US 40 CFR 141 and 143, EU Directive 2020/2184, Quebec, PFAS in Germany, France, Italy and Canada) and soil and groundwater screening values (EPA RSLs, California ESLs, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, CCME, Italy, German and Italian PFAS). Each row gives value, unit, statistic, the conditions it applies under, and a cite block (instrument, edition, section or page, the quoted text, source URL and sha256). When nothing is held the answer is a refused block naming every instrument searched: say that our sources hold no such row, never that the law has no limit.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| kind | No | limit = binding on a discharger; guideline = a quality criterion or objective. | |
| place | No | ISO 3166 code of where the rule binds: a country (US, CA, DE, FR, IT), a state or province (US-OH, CA-QC), or EU. A place also searches every place above it: US-OH searches US-OH and US; DE searches DE and EU. Omit to search everywhere. | |
| medium | No | What the limit governs: an effluent (water_discharge), the receiving water (surface_water), groundwater, drinking water as supplied (drinking_water; EPA's tap-water screening levels too), soil, air. | |
| offset | No | Where the next page starts (the answer's next_offset). | |
| max_rows | No | ||
| parameter | Yes | The substance or measure as a regulation names it (ammonia, copper, TSS, pH, BOD5, benzene) or its CAS number (7440-50-8). | |
| statistic | No | Only rows under this statistic: daily_max, monthly_avg, four_day_avg, annual_avg, hourly_avg, instant, ... |