Some maintain that environmental factors are unimportant for infant and child survival once mother's education and other characteristics have been taken into account. However, an analysis of survival of African and Coloured children based on the 1994 October Household Survey supports the importance of environmental factors in relatively high mortality populations. Among African households, the source of domestic water is important, but for Coloured households, almost all of which have safe water, the type of sanitation is important. If safe drinking water is available, the type of sanitation influences survival; if safe drinking water is not available, sanitation seems to matter little