The water that comes from your tap should be a life-giving substance, but all too often, it is treated with processes, exposed to chemicals, and may actually do more harm than good. Earlier this year, the residents of Charleston, West Virginia, discovered just how toxic tap water can be when a chemical spill from a nearby plant shut down the drinking water supply of 300,000 residents. While the water was deemed “safe” by officials shortly after, there was a hotbed of controversy surrounding the issue. Weeks later, many residents still chose not to use their tap water for drinking.
The dangers of water in our homes should be taken very seriously. While the West Virginia incident illustrates the effects of a chemical plant accident, deadly toxins can be lurking in your home’s water supply every day, exposing your family to sickness every time they use water.
Table of Contents
The Dangers of Tap Water
Below are some of the top dangers that our drinking and bathing water have been exposed to in recent years.
Danger: Arsenic
It’s not widely discussed, but water has been known to contain toxic levels of arsenic. In 2009, The New York Times report, “That Tap Water Is Legal but May Be Unhealthy”, brought to light the fact that Safe Drinking Water Act was sorely out of date and that the EPA’s lenient standards allowed small amounts of contaminants to creep into our water. The article outlines multiple findings of high arsenic levels, but that’s no surprise to the CDC. Their 2013 report revealed, according to The Center for Public Integrity, that “most Americans regularly consume small amounts of arsenic.” Added to arsenic levels deemed acceptable by the FDA in foods like rice, this poison is building up in our systems and can pose a real health threat.
What You Can Do:
- Get your home’s levels tested.
- If there is a problem in your area, contact officials. Some arsenic will need to be removed at the source.
- Installing a high-quality water filter can reduce some of the arsenic in drinking water.
Resources:
- National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Arsenic in Water Q&A
- View U.S. Geological Survey’s map tracking arsenic in water across America.
Danger: Pesticides
Atrazine and glyphosate, both pesticides, have been found in American drinking water. Last week, we discussed the dangers of glyphosate and endocrine disruptors. Atrazine is also an endocrine disruptor, with negative effects on reproduction including miscarriage and birth defects, and has been linked to cancer. It’s also pervasive, showing up in samples more than a decade after being banned in France. According to the Pesticide Action Network of North America, it’s present in 94% of US drinking water as per USDA testing. In 2009, the NRDC found that many drinking water systems across the Midwest and the South have been contaminated with it as well. A recent USGS study found that fish in Pennsylvania watersheds have problems caused by endocrine-disrupting chemicals, many of them pesticides and herbicides, as reported in Beyond Pesticides. While many of us work hard to ensure that our bodies remain free of pesticides by eating organic and choosing clean solutions for our lawns, pesticides may be creeping in from our drinking water.
Recently, evidence of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide, has been found in drinking water, as reported by the Washington Post. Scientists warn that this should be “cause for alarm”. Imidacloprid is one of the world’s best selling pesticides. In 2016, a study linked neonicotinoids to the decimation of bee populations.
What You Can Do:
- You can test water for pesticides but it can be costly. Screen for the pesticides that are most commonly used in and around your area.
- The NRDC recommends buying a filter that is “certified by NSF International to meet American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard 53 for VOC (volatile organic compounds)” in order to eliminate pesticides this strong.
Resources:
- Pesticides in My Drinking Water? – Guide to action and precautions
Danger: Lead
WAOW in Wisconsin reported last week that lead was showing up in higher levels in one central city, Mosinee. Their Annual Drinking Water Quality Report showed that higher levels were present this year, meaning tap water is still not safe from lead. Homes and buildings built before 1986 may still have pipes and structures that can contaminate water with lead. The EPA has worked on removing lead from schools. While much headway has been made on removing this toxin, the Wisconsin event is not an isolated incident — meaning that lead can still be a danger in your water.
What You Can Do:
- Check to see if your city or town does a drinking water quality report and when it was done last to see if any lead was found.
- Get your water tested for lead or check your home for lead pipes or solder.
- If lead is found, run your water for more than one minute before using.
- Lead is more reactive in hot or warm water, so be sure to use cold water for drinking and cooking.
- According to Lead Safe America, many standard garden hoses are still made with lead. They recommend flushing your hose with cold water for at least a minute before using, or buying a MARINE/RV grade drinking water delivery hose. I recommend not letting your children drink from your garden hose at all.
Resources:
- The EPA’s Fact Sheet, “Is There Lead in my Drinking Water?”
Danger: Fluoride
For decades, we’ve been taught that fluoride is healthy for you and your family, and is an essential tool to prevent tooth decay. But is that the case? New studies show that claims of fluoride’s safety and usefulness may have been overstated by the dental community. The University of York conducted a review of the existing studies of the benefits of fluoride and found that the scientific evidence was weak at best. They determined that more studies need to be done to see if the benefits of fluoride outweigh the risks. That said, fluoride is toxic if you are exposed in large quantities and babies should not be exposed to it.
That might not be so easy. Today, fluoride is being added to our drinking water in cities and towns across America. Often, fluoridation is introduced at higher than recommended levels, because oversight and regulation are lacking as towns rush to add it. In fact, 90% of the fluoride introduced into our water supply is a type called fluorosilicic acid, which is a by-product of fertilizer manufacturing. Washington’s Blog did an expose on this and discovered that “neither the EPA or any other government agency has studied the effects of long-term ingestion of fluorosilicic acid.” The article also shows that this chemical has been shown to increase the uptake of lead in children, and its use correlates to an increase in violence. In addition, fluoride, in general, may lower IQ. Residents across America are opposed to this medicine being added to our water supply but have no say in the matter.
What You Can Do:
- If you have fluoridated water, don’t use your tap water for drinking.
- Write to your legislators, petitioning to remove the fluoride. This is a case where you should get your neighbors on board as well.
- Find a natural dentist and check your family for fluoride poisoning.
- Install a water filtration system with reverse osmosis.
Resources:
Danger: Harmful Bacteria
Science Daily reported last year on The University of Sheffield’s study which found that biofilm, which refers to layers of bacteria that accrue inside water pipes, are not harmful but can create an environment where more dangerous bacteria can thrive. Coliform is the most common type of bacteria found in water, and can include E. Coli. Sometimes this problem is caused by improper installation or repair of pipes and lines as well. While toxicity can be low, these bacteria can make your family sick.
What You Can Do:
- Have your water tested for the type of bacteria that is suspected.
- Find out if your well needs servicing or repair.
- Bacteria can be destroyed with iodine or chlorine, however, iodine is less toxic to humans. Find out how your well is being treated.
- Boil the water until the threat is removed.
Resources:
- The Minnesota Department of Health has a comprehensive page on Coliform bacteria.
- Read what this green blogger did following a water advisory for E. Coli in “How To Deal with Water Issues.”
Danger: Pharmaceuticals
In 2008, NBC News reported on an Associated Press (AP) study that found pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of 41 million Americans, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, although in very low levels. More recently, the New Republic reported on a 2013 EPA study which found that wastewater treatment plants contained pharmaceuticals ranging from oxycodone to Tylenol, with at least 25 drugs found in affected samples. This contaminated runoff can come from pharmaceutical companies, improper disposal of drugs in your home and hospitals, farms, cemeteries, sewage, and anything that runs down our drains. Prior studies have shown that wastewater treatments don’t necessarily remove all the drugs from the water. Even if the dosage is low, the question of how these compounds interact with each other – and how they affect our own body chemistry – remains. The EPA has promised to study the potential health effect on humans, but meanwhile, our families can be getting “dosed” with unwanted pharmaceuticals.
What You Can Do:
- Properly dispose of pharmaceuticals, over the counter drugs, pesticides, cleaning products and other highly toxic chemicals. Do not wash or flush them down drains.
- Install a water filtration system with reverse osmosis.
Resources:
- AP’s complete 2008 study, “Drugs in the Drinking Water.”
Danger: Fracking
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a process that extracts natural gas from rock formations in the earth, which then can be used for everything from generating electricity to fueling cars. Most companies won’t reveal the proprietary ingredients of the fluids used in this process. However, according to Clean Water Action, fracking well samples reveal the presence of formaldehyde, acetic acids, citric acids, boric acids and even diesel, which is typically illegal to use for fracking without authorization. Companies counter that the process is done safely and chemicals do not escape into local drinking water, however, a 2012 study showed a different result. According to The Economist, a team from Duke University set out to study drinking water wells near the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and discovered that four of them contained methane, a waste gas from the fracking process. Fracking also permanently contaminates 2 to 5 million gallons of local fresh water, using up a large amount of this precious resource. Fracking, therefore, is harmful to local ecosystems and may be harmful to residents and local farms.
What You Can Do:
Unfortunately, a filter is not going to help you if you live in a community near a shale fracking well. For those who do, community action is your solution.
- Food & Water Watch has a list of states involved in fracking and what actions have been taken.
- Unfracktured is a page dedicated to the anti-fracking movement, over at EarthJustice.
Resources:
- Duke University Study
- Watch the documentaries made about fracking, Gasland and Gasland 2.
Final Tips For Safer Water
In addition to the tips I’ve provided, here are a few more general steps you can take to safeguard your family’s water supply:
- If you live near an area where any of the above issues are a problem, test the water for the pollutants you are most concerned about.
- Remember that you can buy high-quality water filtration systems to install throughout your home. Although this can be a costly solution, it is an investment well worth saving for. In the meantime, use a more cost effective water filter system to start.
- If your area is placed under a water advisory for any reason, follow the directions from your community. Then, find out what the problem is, get educated on the situation and take further steps to safeguard your family.
- Many companies source their bottled water with tap water, so you cannot simply replace your tap water with bottled water.
- Stay educated and active about what’s going on in your area’s wastewater, chemical plants, fracking facilities and drinking water wells. Read any notifications and news from your water company as well.
Clean tap water in our homes is necessary for good health, but modern life has exposed our families to the dangers right in our tap water. Take these steps to protect yourself and your family from toxic tap water.
Okay, lots of recommendations for types of filters but no brands? Give us a little product inspiration and ideas if you don’t mind. Is there a filer that you’ve found to eliminate all of then? High-quality, Reverse osmosis and certified by NSF International to meet American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard 53 for VOC (volatile organic compounds)? Would love any more information. I’ve been in the market for a water filter lately and need some tips. Thank you so much!!!
I will give anyone that contacts me a free water test. Jennifer 239-634-4106.