First it was bottled water that was in hot water when reports surfaced that many bottlers used nothing more than purified municipal water, now there is disturbing news about the nation's tap water.
A report done by The New York Times revealed federal laws regulating tap water are so outdated the water Americans are drinking can pose serious health risks and still be legal.
The Safe Water Drinking Act became law in 1974. It regulates 91 chemicals considered contaminants.
Yet, more than 60,000 chemicals are used in the United States. Hundreds of those chemicals are associated with
the risk of cancer and other diseases in small concentrations.
The New York Times analyzed tap test result from 45 states, including Texas. The results revealed more than 62 million Americans were exposed to drinking water that did not meet guidelines to protect people from cancer or serious disease.
Even the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that millions have been exposed to drinking water that failed to meet a federal health benchmark.
But, there is another disturbing trend. Even with so many harmful chemicals not regulated by the Drinking Act, not one single chemical has been added to the list of contaminants since 2000.
However, any local water systems go above and beyond what is legally required by the federal government.
There is a measure before Congress that would authorize $15 billion in loans to help states improve their local systems.
E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com
