• You never really know what’s in your tap water
• Is there cancer in your drinking water?
• Find out if your water supply is contaminated

One thing we all take for granted is the water that comes out of our tap. But ask the folks in Flint, MI, and they’ll tell you it’s not a good idea to believe it when officials tell you your water is safe.

You see, back in 2014 the city turned to the Flint River as a main source of water. This decision exposed residents to all sorts of unhealthy pollutants every time they enjoyed a glass of water from their faucet, took a shower, or enjoyed a relaxing soak in the tub.

Right off the bat, fecal coliform bacteria and other disease-causing organisms entered the public water supply. And when officials tried to clean the water up with excessive amounts of chlorine, things got even worse. It caused a buildup TTHM, a cancer-causing byproduct of chlorine.

At the same time, the city didn’t provide any corrosion control treatment. Without this kind of treatment, lead began leaching into the water supply. Some homes had levels as high as 13,200 ppb (The EPA classified 5,000 ppb as hazardous waste).

Numerous lawsuits have been filed against city officials and the EPA for everything from misleading the public and concealing evidence to charges of manslaughter.

If you think this sort of thing can only happen in Flint, think again.

Is There Cancer in Your Drinking Water?

You may not realize it, but there are all sorts of chemicals in our public water supplies. And it’s not just fluoride and chlorine you have to worry about.

A stunning new analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) finds that…

• 40,000 water systems in the U.S. contain contaminants linked to cancer.

• The water supplies of 250 million Americans contain detectable levels of chrominum-6. This is the cancer-causing chemical featured in the movie “Erin Brockovich”.

• Approximately 7 million people are drinking water with unsafe amounts of fertilizer nitrates in it. Drinking nitrate-contaminated water is linked to various cancers, diabetes, thyroid conditions and reproductive problems.

• Ninety-seven of California’s public water supply systems are contaminated with an extremely potent carcinogen called 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP. This cancer-causing compound comes from agricultural chemicals. (An additional 37 water supplies in other states are also contaminated with this compound.)

This doesn’t even include an additional 264 contaminants found across U.S. water supplies, some of which can damage your brain, impair your nervous system and disrupt hormones.

To find out what’s in your public water supply, you can check out EWG’s new Tap Water Database. Just type in your zip code, then click on the utility company that provides your water.

What to do if Your Water is Contaminated

The most effective type of water filtering system is called a reverse osmosis system. They remove more contaminants than other systems. However, they’re expensive. They also waste a lot of water and require more maintenance than other alternatives.

A less expensive option is to install faucet-mount carbon filters on all of your taps. These types of filters are an inexpensive way to remove bacteria, pesticides, nitrates and other chemicals from your water.

I also know that whole-home carbon filtration systems are available, too. They filter all of the water coming into your house. But I don’t know much about them. However, a local retailer would be able to fill you in on exactly what types of chemicals they remove.

Last but not least, I always use a water distiller in the kitchen. It removes about 99% of chlorine, fluoride, bacteria, pesticides, lead and other chemicals from my tap water. And for a one-time investment, I have all of the pure and natural drinking water I could ever want.

SOURCES:

EWG’s Nationwide Tap Water Transparency Report is Here: New Database Details Pollutants in Virtually All U.S. Public Water Systems. Press Release. Environmental Working Group. Jul 2017.

Cancer-Causing Pesticide ‘Garbage’ Taints Tap Water for Millions in California. Environmental Working Group. Apr 2017.

Ward, MH. Too Much of a Good Thing? Nitrate from Nitrogen Fertilizers and Cancer. Rev Environ Health. 2009 Oct–Dec; 24(4): 357–363.

EWG’s Tap Water Database. Copyright © 2017. Environmental Working Group.