Millions of people are exposed to unsafe drinking water every year in the US. Yearly from 1982 to 2015, between 9 million and 45 million Americans got their drinking water from a source that violated the standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
*In 2018, Milwaukee’s health commissioner resigned amid news that public health officials failed to warn families whose children tested positive for elevated lead levels from 2015 to 2017.
*Washington, DC has seen lead-contaminated water since the early 2000s. By 2016, around 12,000 DC buildings were still getting their water from lead pipes.
*Brady, Texas has encountered radium levels nine times higher than the EPA limit. Residents report that the tap water can be orange, brown, or even green in color.
*Pittsburgh,PA has also struggled to combat high levels of lead in drinking water. The EPA reports that there are not enough state officials to perform mandatory inspections..
*In 2016, a 1.3 billion-gallon reservoir in Newburgh, NY, tested positive for a dangerous pollutant called perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which has been linked to cancer and chronic kidney disease.
*Charleston, WV, is still recovering from a massive chemical spill. In 2014 Freedom Industries leaked MCHM, a chemical foam used to wash coal, into the Elk River. As late as 2017, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found multiple contaminants in the city’s water supply.
*Water in Dos Palos, California has toxic chemicals linked to cancer and kidney problems. From 2013 to 2018, the city’s well failed at least 22 safety tests.
Is your tap water safe?
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