NYT: "Safe" tap water can legally contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing agents

More this week from the New York Times about the safety (or should we say unsafety) of our tap water. Current regulations and laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, simply aren't stringent enough to guarantee that the tap water flowing from our faucets is pure, safe and free of toxic chemicals.

The latest in the newspaper's Toxic Waters series highlights the harm that can be caused by so-called legal levels of toxins and contaminants, including arsenic, uranium, lead and bacteria. Exposure to these toxins has been linked to illnesses from the innocuous -- an upset stomach -- to the deadly -- birth defects and cancer. Since 2000, no new chemicals have been added to the list of those that the EPA monitors under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.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, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. Government and independent scientists have scrutinized thousands of those chemicals in recent decades, and identified hundreds associated with a risk of cancer and other diseases at small concentrations in drinking water, according to an analysis of government records by The New York Times.

If you receive your water from your local municipality, every year you should receive a Consumer Confidence Report in the mail detailing the so-called safety of that tap water. These reports also are available online for some cities and towns at through the EPA's Web site. These reports include information about any contaminants found in your local drinking water, and oftentimes, you'll read that the contaminants are within safe levels.

But that notion of safety is very misleading, as the New Times investigation details:

For instance, the drinking water standard for arsenic, a naturally occurring chemical used in semiconductor manufacturing and treated wood, is at a level where a community could drink perfectly legal water, and roughly one in every 600 residents would likely develop bladder cancer over their lifetimes, according to studies commissioned by the E.P.A. and analyzed by The Times. Many of those studies can be found in the Resources section of the New York Times.

That level of exposure is roughly equivalent to the risk the community would face if every person received 1,664 X-rays.

Tainted water supply, water filter blamed for one death, two illnesses at Miami hotel

Fox News is reporting that the luxury Epic Hotel in downtown Miami has been evacuated after one guest died and two others became sick from a bacteria-tainted water supply. And it appears that a water filter that the hotel had installed to remove chlorine from its tap water is to blame:

About 300 guests have been relocated from a luxury Miami hotel after one guest died and at least two others became sick from a bacteria in the water.

Health officials say the guests at the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami were sent to nearby hotels Sunday to prevent further contact with the Legionella bacteria. It can cause potentially deadly pneumonia. It spreads in contaminated mist or vapor, not from person to person.

An investigation last week by county and state officials revealed that the hotel had installed a water filter powerful enough to remove chlorine from its city-supplied water, a move that encouraged bacterial growth.

In an unrelated case, the bacteria killed a man in Gainesville last week. He had contracted the disease from the water supply at Shands Cancer Hospital.

NYT Investigation Reveals Millions Exposed to Cancer-Causing Agents in Tap Water

A new New York Times investigation uncovered damning evidence that much of the tap water in the United States is unsafe, and that the EPA has failed to punish violators of the Safe Drinking Water Act even in cases where cancer-causing agents such as arsenic and uranium were detected in the water supply.

According to the front-page article published Monday:

"More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.

That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.

Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred. But regulatory records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials, including those at the Environmental Protection Agency, which has ultimate responsibility for enforcing standards."

The timing of the NYT report coincides with a Congressional hearing today in which the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will question high-ranking EPA officials about drinking-water safety laws and their enforcement. According to the NYT, "the EPA is expected to announce a new policy for how it polices the nation’s 54,700 water systems."

It's certainly time for something to change. The current regulations need to be overhauled, but more importantly, they need to be enforced. Americans are being told that their drinking water is safe, when in reality millions of people every year are being exposed to harmful bacteria and contaminants that have been linked to illnesses and deadly diseases.

Violations have occurred in every state, and while some problems were fixed quickly, others were longer term. Consider these statistics from the Times investigation, a followup to this summer's Toxic Waters series:

"Scientific research indicates that as many as 19 million Americans may become ill each year due to just the parasites, viruses and bacteria in drinking water. Certain types of cancer — such as breast and prostate cancer — have risen over the past 30 years, and research indicates they are likely tied to pollutants like those found in drinking water.

More than three million Americans have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water with illegal concentrations of arsenic and radioactive elements, both of which have been linked to cancer at small doses.

Federal regulators fined or punished fewer than 8 percent of water systems that violated the arsenic and radioactive standards. The E.P.A., in a statement, said that in a majority of situations, state regulators used informal methods — like providing technical assistance — to help systems that had violated the rules.But many systems remained out of compliance, even after aid was offered, according to E.P.A. data. And for over a quarter of systems that violated the arsenic or radioactivity standards, there is no record that they were ever contacted by a regulator, even after they sent in paperwork revealing their violations."

Boil water advisory lifted in Portland, Oregon

A boil water advisory issued Saturday after E.Coli was found in one of the city's water reservoirs has been lifted in Portland, Ore., and surrounding towns.

According to the Portland Water Bureau, routine water samples collected Wednesday indicated the presence of E. coli, and a test conducted Friday confirmed contamination.

It's interesting that the boil-water advisory wasn't issued until Saturday. Wonder how many people who get their water from this particular reservoir were sickened by ingestion of the contaminated tap water? Probably quite a few more than during a normal week since people were home for the Thanksgiving holiday and consuming meals and beverages made from the tainted tap water.

Though the Water Bureau notes that E.Coli in water supplies generally doesn't cause serious illness, it's not completely harmless either.

“If there are health effects from drinking water contamination, we expect them to be diarrhea and belly ache,” Dr. Paul Lewis, Deputy Health Officer for Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties said in a press release. “Although we are hopeful that the contaminated water will not affect peoples’ health, diarrhea can be a bigger problem for young children and people who have weakened immune systems. It is also important to note that the E. coli bacteria that is detected on the monitoring test may not be the same as the more notorious E. coli O157:H7, a cause of serious bacterial diarrhea.”

Water cooler at Indian nuclear plant sabotaged

This is one of those strange but true stories, definitely worthy of some water cooler discussion:

Workers at a nuclear plant in Indian were tested last week for radiation poisoning after a water cooler at the plant was sabotaged with tritium.

Here the strange, but true, details as reported by Bloomberg:

Radioactive material found in drinking water at an Indian nuclear facility was not stolen and the site is secure, the chief of the monopoly atomic energy producer said.

“There is no question of theft” of radioactive material, Shreyans Kumar Jain, chairman of the Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd., told reporters in Mumbai today. A person inside the company most likely obtained the material from samples of heavy water that inspectors regularly take at the facility, he said.

Workers at the Kaiga nuclear plant in the southern state of Karnataka were tested last week after tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, contaminated a water cooler. Two of 50 people who drank the water were being monitored by doctors for low levels of radiation and are expected to recover, while the remaining were confirmed normal, Jain said.

“If the exposure is within or close to the limit, it’s true that it will be flushed out in two to four days and it won’t have any long-term effects,” Prabhat Munshi, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, said by telephone today. “A serious injury can occur only if the exposure is several times above the limit.”

India’s top intelligence agencies are investigating the incident, including motives such as grievances or mischief, Jain said. Security is being increased across state-owned Nuclear Power’s facilities, he said.

The water cooler, which was located outside the reactor building, has been isolated and shut down.

Boil Water Advisory issued in Michigan

Photo by ralph hunden, licensed under Creative Commons

These things are becoming an almost daily occurrence.

Officials in Mesick, Mich., have warned residents to boil tap water before consuming it after coliform bacteria was found in the water. Its detection indicates the likely presence of other harmful bacteria in the community's tap water.

Presence of chlorides raises questions about tap water safety in Missouri

The Missourian reports today that chloride has been detected in water supply wells that supply drinking water to residents of Columbia, Mo.

What does that mean, exactly?

While the chlorides themselves aren't harmful, according to city officials, their presence in the water supply means that treated wastewater is finding its way back into the city's water supplies. That is raising concerns that "other potentially harmful contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and other household chemicals, could stay circulating in the water supply," according to the newspaper.

It's interesting to note that despite these problems, Columbia's water is "safe" by EPA standards. The city is not currently in violation of any EPA standards for clean water or water quality, though it has been in the past.

The problem could get worse if the city follows through on its plans to place a new well near four others where chloride levels are at their highest

Wisconsin school with toxic water switches to water coolers to keep kids safe

Numerous recent media reports, including this one from TMJ4 in Milwaukee, have uncovered toxic drinking water at schools.

After potentially harmful arsenic was detected in the school's well water, well in excess of EPA standards, Lakeview Elementary school switched from tap to water coolers to keep kids safe.

Those coolers are fun for students, but more importantly, they're the only source of clean water at Lakeview.

Arsenic has been linked to bladder and lung cancer and diabetes. But until 2006, the EPA didn't regulate school's water systems for arsenic, according to TMJ4's report.

Deadly E.Coli detected in Oklahoma restaurant's tap water

After one man died and hundreds of others became ill after drinking E.coli tainted well water at an Oklahoma restaurant, the state is urging others with wells to switch to bottled water or municipal tap water.

The Tulsa World newspaper reported that the Department of Environmental Quality and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry have said that residents of Locust Grove, Okla., who rely on well water should take precautions to avoid ingesting the deadly bacteria.

What's In Your Tap Water?

Local governments are quick to assure the public that our drinking water is safe.

But how safe is it really?

If you want to see for yourself what contaminants are present in your tap water, check out this nifty Drinking Water Scorecard from the University of Cincinnatti.

Do you know what's in your drinking water? Did you know the drinking water quality, or the amount of contaminants, varies around the country? Click on your city below to investigate how your drinking water ranks versus other cities.

The chart below is for the Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem metro area, where Primo Water is based. (Sorry for the quality. You can access the chart here.)


While contaminant levels in our local water meet all EPA standards, the levels of lead, chlorine and chlorine byproducts are particularly concerning.

Lead can impact children's mental and physical development and can contribute to kidney and blood pressure problems in adults. Chlorine byproducts have been linked to an increased risk for cancer.

But, according ot the EPA, our drinking water is safe.

Did tap water at N.C. Marine base cause men to develop breast cancer?

Michael Partin was 39 years old when he was diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that affects only 2,000 men in the U.S. every year. Partin believes that his rare cancer was caused by his exposure to contaminated tap water as an infant at Camp Lejeune Marine base in North Carolina.

At least 40 former U.S. Marines or sons of Marines who lived at Camp Lejeune have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

According to CNN:

Partin said that during his mother's pregnancy, the family was exposed to high levels of tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride in the tap water at the military base.

For three decades, from the 1960s to the 1980s, Camp Lejeune's drinking water was contaminated with carcinogens, specifically "industrial solvents dumped by the Marines and a dry-cleaning business, investigators say," according to the St. Petersburg Times, which wrote about Partin earlier this summer. More than 1 million people living and working at Camp Lejeune were exposed to the contaminated tap water.

It's quite likely that during the time they were drinking this contaminated water, the Marines, their families and base employees were told by the government that the tap water was safe. Clearly, such official assurances are not always true.

In two independent studies, the government found no link between the tap water contamination and the men's breast cancer, and experts have warned that showing cause and effect may be difficult. Meanwhile, North Carolina senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan are backing a bill that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover the medical costs of Marines and their families who were exposed to the contaminated water.

E.Coli Found in Pennsylvania Town's Water

Residents of Barton, Pa., have been warned to boil their tap water before drinking it after the deadly bacteria e.coli was found in the water supply.

It's unclear at this point what caused the contamination, but excessive runoff from rain or a breakdown of the town's water treatment system are likely culprits.

Here's more information from the town's boil water advisory, as published in The Morning Times newspaper:

Fecal and e.coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal waste. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children and people with severely compromised immune systems,” the statement explains.

The town's water supply is being treated with increased levels of chlorine to eradicate the e.coli, but it may be a week before it's "safe" for residents to drink their tap water again.

Minnesota town fined for water quality violations

The town of Motley, Minn., has been fined $17,500 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for water quality violations, according to newspaper reports.

The plant was tagged with 46 violations over a 2 1/2-year period from July 2006-December 2008
for "treating twice its permitted levels of total suspended solids and substances that contribute to biological oxygen demand, which resulted in plant overloading and algae problems."

Stories like this really make you question how safe tap water is.

Kids Exposed to Unsafe Drinking Water at School

Through our confidence in the government and because of aggressive marketing efforts by tap water advocates we've been hoodwinked into believing that our drinking water is safe.

But evidence mounts and mounts and mounts to show otherwise.

The latest news to bubble up about tap water may in fact be the most disturbing.

Following on the heels of the New York Times Toxic Waters series, which revealed that one in 10 Americans have been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals, the Associated Press reports that the drinking water at schools is contaminated with unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins.

This applies to public schools and private schools, those with wells and those with municipal water.

The contamination is most apparent at schools with wells, which represent 8 to 11 percent of the nation's schools. Roughly one of every five schools with its own water supply violated the Safe Drinking Water Act in the past decade, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency analyzed by the AP.

Among the report's other findings:

• Water in about 100 school districts and 2,250 schools breached federal safety standards

• Those schools and districts racked up more than 5,550 separate violations. In 2008, the EPA recorded 577 violations, up from 59 in 1998 — an increase that officials attribute mainly to tougher rules.

• California, which has the most schools of any state, also recorded the most violations with 612, followed by Ohio(451), Maine (417), Connecticut (318) and Indiana (289).

• Nearly half the violators in California were repeat offenders. One elementary school in Tulare County, in the farm country of the Central Valley, broke safe-water laws 20 times.

• The most frequently cited contaminant was coliform bacteria, followed by lead and copper, arsenic and nitrates.

As the AP reporters point out, the stakes are particularly high when these types of contaminants and toxins are found in school water supplies. Children do not have the same tolerance for these contaminants as do adults, so the threat to their health is amplified.

The contaminants are especially dangerous to children, who drink more water per pound than adults and are more vulnerable to the effects of many hazardous substances.

"There's a different risk for kids," said Cynthia Dougherty, head of the EPA's Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water.

Still, the EPA does not have the authority to require testing for all schools and can only provide guidance on environmental practices.