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The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.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.

Fashion Alert: Primo Water and Rachel Zoe

It seems that Primo Water is becoming a darling with reality television stars.

We told you earlier this week that we spotted a Primo Water dispenser at the home of "Biggest Loser" winner Danny Cahill.

Well, we just got word from the director of operations for Rachel Zoe's company that they just received their Primo Water dispenser. They've set it up in their offices, and report that it looks great and is working great.

Oh my God! Shut up. Oh my God!

Hollywood stylist Rachel Zoe is a fan.

Oh my God!

We'll be keeping our eyes open for next season of the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo to see if we can spot Primo sharing screen time alongside all those designer labels Zoe chooses for her A-list celebrity clients.

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.

"Biggest Loser" Winner includes Primo Water in Weight Loss Efforts

"Biggest Loser" winner Danny Cahill obviously realizes the importance of pure, great-tasting water to a healthy lifestyle.

Cahill, a land surveyor from Broken Arrow, Okla., lost an astounding 239 pounds to win the latest season of the hit NBC reality show.

Guess what we spotted in Danny's kitchen in one of the episodes leading up to the finale? A Primo Water dispenser.

To win the "Biggest Loser" and drop 239 pounds, Danny had to trade his unhealthy habits for healthy ones. One of the easiest changes people can make at the beginning of any health makeover is to switch from sodas, sugary beverages and caffeinated drinks to water.

But as the contestants on the "Biggest Loser" learned, making healthy choices can be quite difficult when other temptations surround you. Weight loss winners like Danny learn to surround themselves with healthy options -- fruit and veggies to snack on instead of high-calorie sweets and great-tasting Primo Water to drink instead of sodas.

Like diet and exercise, water should play a role in your weight loss plan, according to a Wake Forest University nutritionist:

• Water can decrease your appetite. The next time you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait 20 to 30 minutes to see if those hunger pangs subside.
• Water can help you cut calories. Most people drink a lot of calories throughout the day. Consider replacing sodas, sweet tea and juices and zero-calorie water.
• Caffeinated beverages act as a diuretic and can lead to dehydration. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Though you may consume lots of caffeinated beverages throughout the day, they won't keep you hydrated like water will.

Now, we thought we'd sign off with a few inspiring words from the "Biggest Loser" himself, Danny Cahill.

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."

Is the bottled water industry dead? $16 billion in annual sales says no

The blog Triple Pundit has a really thought-provoking article about the future of the bottled water industry.

One salient point that the author makes is that the so-called "refill revolution" is still in its nascent phase. While campaigns such as Break Free have raised awareness of plastic bottle waste and converted people from single-serve bottled water to alternative such as water coolers, tap and filters, the bottled water industry is still billions of dollars strong.

Sales of reusable aluminum and stainless steal water bottles are up. Companies like Sigg and Klean Kanteen have grown tremendously over the past few years; Nalgene has experienced slower sales due to the BPA scare. Sigg increased production by more than 90 percent last year and expects it to increase to be about seven million this year (though a recent scandal regarding lack of transparency could change that).

But the bottled water industry is enormous, estimated at about $16 billion, and reusable water bottles are a mere drop in the bucket. It would take a mass exodus of people using refillable water bottles to take away the significant market share of the bottled water industry.

Those of us who are concerned about the environment and plastic bottle waste should let this reality motivate us to do more to cut into the bottled water industry's profit: It would take a mass exodus of people using refillable water bottles to take away the significant market share of the bottled water industry.

If you haven't already signed the Break Free pledge, do it now. Then, encourage your friends, family and coworkers to do the same. But don't just take the pledge. Live it.

Remember:

The benefits of using reusable water bottles far outweigh the costs. Among these benefits are: energy savings and reduced emissions (processing, packaging, distribution) and reduced waste (less plastic in landfills equals less pollution).