Toxins In Tap Water Harm Many Americans: Study

by Annina Bergman | September 14, 2009 at 01:14 pm

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A survey conducted by the New York Times has revealed that tap water in the United States may be extremely bad for your health. The paper found that tap water is causing rashes and skin burns in many Americans, as well as destroys the enamel which protects their teeth. Tests show that tap water in many areas contains arsenic, lead, manganese, barium and other toxic chemicals.

“How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water?” said Mrs. Hall-Massey, a senior accountant at one of the state’s largest banks.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson admits that the water in the U.S. does not meet public health goals, and water pollution law enforcement is unacceptably low. The E.P.A. and Congress regulate over 100 pollutants and 91 chemicals through the Safe Drinking Water Act. But New York Times found that one in ten Americans has drunk water that contained dangerous chemicals, probably without even knowing it, as the chemicals do not smell or look different from clean water.

The New York Times has compiled a comprehensive searchable database of water pollution violations, as well as an interactive map of violations. They aquired the information through Freedom of Information Act requests to states and to the E.P.A.

Records analyzed by The Times indicate that the Clean Water Act has been violated more than 506,000 times since 2004, by more than 23,000 companies and other facilities, according to reports submitted by polluters themselves. Companies sometimes test what they are dumping only once a quarter, so the actual number of days when they broke the law is often far higher. And some companies illegally avoid reporting their emissions, say officials, so infractions go unrecorded.

The 11 most frequently detected compounds - all found at extremely low concentrations - were:

Atenolol, a beta-blocker used to treat cardiovascular disease

Atrazine, an organic herbicide banned in the European Union, but still used in the US, which has been implicated in the decline of fish stocks and in changes in animal behaviour

Carbamazepine, a mood-stabilising drug used to treat bipolar disorder, amongst other things

Estrone, an oestrogen hormone secreted by the ovaries and blamed for causing gender-bending changes in fish

Gemfibrozil, an anti-cholesterol drug

Meprobamate, a tranquiliser widely used in psychiatric treatment

Naproxen, a painkiller and anti-inflammatory linked to increases in asthma incidence

Phenytoin, an anticonvulsant that has been used to treat epilepsy

Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used against the Streptococcus bacteria, which is responsible for tonsillitis and other diseases

TCEP, a reducing agent used in molecular biology

Trimethoprim, another antibiotic