Millions of Americans getting hazardous drinking water

Is your drinking water tainted by hazardous chemicals?

You don’t have to live in Flint, Michigan to have toxic chemicals coming out of your tap.

A new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health just confirmed that over 6 million Americans are drinking contaminated water every single day.

I’m talking about water laced with chemicals that can give you cancer and even destroy your immune system.

In fact, the water millions of us drink and cook with may turn out to be the biggest health hazard we face today.

And it’s never been more important to take some simple steps to keep yourself — and the people you love — safe.

A toxic legacy

PFASs are man-made chemicals that are used in everything from non-stick cookware and soil-resistant carpeting to waterproof mattresses and shoes.

In other words, these chemicals were supposed to make our lives easier.

But now they’re coming back to haunt us in a big way.

We’ve known for years that PFASs are so toxic that they can cause developmental problems, liver, thyroid and immune system damage, and even cancer when ingested. The trick, of course, is to not ingest them.

Yeah, well, it turns out that’s easier said than done.

The new Harvard study found evidence of PFASs in 33 states, in water systems that serve 6 million people (the real number is MUCH higher — I’ll explain in a second). At the top of the list was California, followed by New Jersey, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, Arizona, Massachusetts and Illinois.

If you happen to live in Warminster, Pennsylvania, or Newark, Delaware you should probably just put some big yellow “crime scene” tape over your tap. In that first locale, the concentration of PFASs was five times over the EPA limit, and in the second, 25 times higher!

And don’t think hazmat-suited crews will be arriving to clean things up or bring in truckloads of bottled water, either. The EPA only issues “health advisories” to municipal water systems asking them to take “appropriate actions to protect their residents.”

In other words, the agency has practically washed it hands of doing anything when it comes to the safety of our water.

And the 6 million Americans the researchers said are drinking contaminated water — well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

A full third of the U.S. doesn’t even report water data to the EPA. That means there are over 100 million people who are in the dark about what’s coming out of their taps.

Now, removing these PFASs from our water is no walk in the park, but there are some things you can try.

First, call your local water utility and ask for copy of its “Consumer Confidence Report.” That’s something required by federal law, and it’s supposed to list all the contaminants found in your drinking water.

Second, you can filter your drinking water with either a device using a charcoal filter or a reverse osmosis system. While this may not totally eliminate all PFASs from your water, it will help a lot.

If you find your water exceeds safety limits, you may even want to start using bottled water for cooking and drinking. But be sure to check with the bottling company as to whether it tests for PFASs.

Sources:
“Study: High levels of toxic chemicals in drinking water of 6 million Americans” Mary Brophy Marcus, August 9, 2016, CBS News, cbsnews.com