| What is in our drinking water? |
| Some of the elements that comprise what is in our drinking water include arsenic, asbestos, atrazine, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, coliform, copper, cryptosporidum, cyanide, dalapon. Disinfection by-products like hexachlorobenzene, lead, mercury, nickel, nitrates, percholrate, radon, seelium, sulfate and vinyl chloride also compose what is in our drinking water. Bear in mind that the simple presence of a substance or contaminant in drinking water does not necessarily indicate that the drinking water poses a health risk – even where a contaminant is present above federal standards, or the maximum contaminant level (MCLs) for what is in our drinking water. MCLs are set at levels that protect public health. Since the limit for many substances is based on lifetime exposure, for most potential contaminants short-term exceedances of the MCL pose only a limited health risk. The exceptions are the standards for coliform bacteria and nitrate; exceedances of these standards can pose an immediate threat to health. Home Page | FAQs | Glossary | Contact Us |