The latest installment in the New York Times’ “Toxic Water” series is a massive review of results from chemical testing on drinking water in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
The article by reporter Charles Duhigg concludes that the 35-year-old federal Safe Drinking Water Act is “so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.”
Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the United States. And hundreds of those unregulated chemicals have been associated with a risk of cancer and other diseases, even in small concentrations, according to the Times.
The Times analysis of government reports on the testing concludes that “more than 62 million Americans have been exposed since 2004 to drinking water that did not meet at least one commonly used government health guideline intended to help protect people from cancer or serious disease.” To read the Times report, click here. To review test results the Times examined in Minnesota, click here.