States with the Most Dangerous Tap Water

AOL Health, using research from the the Environmental Working Group, has published a list of the states with the most toxic tap water.

This list, along with the recent New York Times series, "Toxic Waters," should make you question whether the water coming out of your tap is really as safe as you've been led to believe.

The states with the dirtiest tap water are:

New Mexico
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Nevada
New York
Texas
Florida
North Carolina
Wisconsin
California

You can learn more about how these tap water rankings were compiled here.

A few highlights from the AOL Health Report:

In New Mexico, "about 1.3 million people drank water that contained amounts of arsenic that exceeded health limits set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Arsenic, the consumption of which can cause cancer and blood toxicity, is a metal that enters water either by erosion of natural deposits or from runoff from glass and electronics factories."

In Nevada, "85.9 percent of water systems violated the health-based drinking water standards. Possible health effects of the 100 contaminants found in state tap water include cardiovascular or blood toxicity, cancer, developmental toxicity and skin sensitivity."

In Florida, "Over 11 million Floridians also may have consumed radium-226, a radioactive element found around uranium deposits that can potentially cause cancer, in their water. And 11,113 people were exposed to excessive amounts of it."

In North Carolina, "6.1 million citizens were exposed to 59 contaminants that exceeded the EPA's limits. Nitrate, which can have a negative impact on kidneys, blood, the heart and the reproductive systems, was the most common contaminant. The suspected carcinogen enters water through fertilizer runoff, leaching septic tanks and erosion of natural deposits."

The North Carolina statistics really hit home here at Break Free 411. Primo Water is based in North Carolina, and it concerns us that the water that we've cooked with, bathed in, brushed our teeth with, washed our food with and watered our gardens with contains such a high concentration of potentially cancer-causing contaminants.

Even if you don't drink tap water, there are so many ways that you may be exposed to the toxins in it on a daily basis. Clearly, more needs to be done to enforce the Clean Water Act and shore up the safety of tap water.