The Environmental Working Group has published a database of water contaminants for cities above a 1/4 million population.
EWG spent three years analyzing the results of almost 20 million drinking water tests from water utilities. They detected 316 pollutants in water supplied to Americans since 2004. More than half are completely unregulated, and more than 130 turned up in amounts exceeding official health-based guidelines.
The good news? When the Environmental Protection Agency sets mandatory water quality standards, the tests show that local water suppliers meet them 92 percent of the time. The bad news? The standards need to be much tougher to protect children and pregnant women, and the EPA hasn’t set a single new drinking water standard since 2001.
Use EWG’s unique online guide to make safe, science-based choices at home. Water quality varies considerably across the country, so the EWG guide provides local information to help you make smart decisions about the drinking water in your home. With our 2009 online drinking water guide, you can:
- Find out what’s in your drinking water.
- Choose the right water filter for your home.
- See the 10 highest and lowest-ranked water suppliers.
- Read and download tips for safe drinking water.
Read EWG’s full report to learn more about drinking water pollution — what contaminants we face, where they come from, what the government is and isn’t doing about them — and what EWG recommends to policy makers.
