| Drinking Water Health |
| America's piped drinking water supplies are deteriorating and impacting our everyday drinking water health. In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tested over 8,000 municipal water systems and found more than 800 were supplying drinking water with unsafe levels of lead. Since lead piping in homes was just outlawed in 1986, most plumbing in homes today still adds to this danger. Over 1,000 water distribution systems did not even complete the EPA's monitoring requirements, so nothing is known about those systems and their contribution – good or bad – to our drinking water health. During the 1992 study, the EPA issued 10, 000 violations against hospitals, schools and hotels for violations of the drinking water quality standards. In 1993, some 43% of all water systems serving 120 million residents with drinking water were found to be in violation of EPA standards. Also in 1993, 400, 000 people in Milwaukee became sick from piped drinking water which was contaminated. In the same year, New York and Washington advised users to boil their drinking water because of fecal contamination. Today, some 53% of Americans get their drinking water from systems that violated EPA standards. Chlorination, the most widely used method of killing bacteria in drinking water, is known to produce powerful carcinogenic residues and contributes to deteriorating drinking water health. Studies have shown that the risk of bladder cancer is doubled if you drinking water contains chlorine. Approximately 50, 000 Americans develop bladder cancer annually. Chlorination also destroys Vitamin E in the body, which can lead to heart problems, and has been linked to clogged arteries. Home Page | FAQs | Glossary | Contact Us |