Public Data Show Chemicals in Tap Water

[Guest guest]

http://news./s/ap/20051220/ap_on_sc/tap_water

 

 

 

Public Data Show Chemicals in Tap Water

 

 

By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer Tue Dec 20, 3:42 PM ET

 

WASHINGTON - Drinking water may have a lot more in it than just H20

and fluoride, according to an environmental group's analysis of

records in 42 states.

 

 

A survey by the Environmental Working Group released on Tuesday found

141 unregulated chemicals and an additional 119 for which the

Environmental Protection Agency has set health-based limits. Most

common among the chemicals found were disinfection byproducts,

nitrates, chloroform, barium, arsenic and copper.

 

The research-and-advocacy organization compiled findings from the

states that agreed to provide data they collected from 1998 to 2003.

That data comes from nearly 40,000 water utilities, serving 231

million people. The utilities were required by federal law to report

that data to consumers.

 

For the unregulated chemicals, EPA is still identifying and

considering the potential risks for possible future regulations.

Nineteen of those chemicals exceeded EPA's unenforced safety

guidelines for tap water systems serving at least 10,000 people,

according to the advocacy group.

 

The EPA gathers its own water monitoring data, reviews the latest

research and looks at treatment methods and technology, an agency

spokeswoman said. States also are free to set their own safety

standards for contaminants that may not be detected in other states.

 

Benjamin Grumbles, who heads EPA's Office of Water, said that " for the

chemicals the agency regulates, nearly 100 percent of the community

water systems that provide drinking water to the majority of Americans

are meeting clean drinking water standards. We also have a process to

continuously identify new contaminants for which regulation could

reduce risks. "

 

Jane Houlihan, EWG's vice president for research, said the group's

findings show that the United States allows millions of people to be

exposed to some chemicals for which EPA either has never considered

the risks or if it has, has no enforceable limits.

 

" So in many communities the water that comes out of the tap could be

contaminated with scores of chemicals. People shouldn't be alarmed,

but they should be concerned. Our system of public health protections

isn't working in this case, " Houlihan said.

 

The top 10 states, listed in order of the most contaminants in their

drinking water, were: California, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida, North

Carolina, Texas, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Illinois,

according to EWG, which listed the biggest sources as agriculture,

industry and urban and sprawl developments.

 

Tom Curtis, a deputy director of the Denver-based American Water Works

Association, echoed Grumbles' comments. " That's good news, and it's a

reflection of water professionals' ongoing commitment to protecting

public health, " he said.

 

Curtis said the EPA has " a systematic approach to determining which

substances should be regulated. Those regulations take into account

occurrence data and health effects research, and should reflect the

best available science. "

 

He also said that " water suppliers support strong regulations that

protect public health, and they also support proactive research that

identifies and examines new substances found in source waters. "

 

Last week, in setting two new rules to protect public drinking water,

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson called clean drinking water " a key

ingredient to keeping people healthy and our economy strong. " One rule

aims to prevent disease-causing microorganisms from entering public

water supplies, while the other is intended to limit the amount of

potentially harmful disinfection byproducts.

 

___