In 1974, federal law enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act intending to provide the public with safe drinking water supplied by public water systems. Under this law, the EPA sets standards, regulates and determines which contaminants pose a threat to public health. “But Congress, environmental groups, and water suppliers are concerned that the EPA has set fewer than 25 standards for drinking water contaminants while evidence grows that hundreds of chemicals have already contaminated drinking water supplies and groundwater” (Environment). Often setting standards based on the best available technology and taking cost into account before the public health. With increasing concern over the safety of our drinking water and recent studies indicating …show more content…
Stating “Potential health effects from long-term exposure above the MCL (could result in), infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome” (EPA). Nitrate, an inorganic substance often found in both public and private water systems, is a result of fertilizer, agricultural runoff and leaching from septic and sewage tanks. Although the EPA states a risk only above the MCL and that risk only appears to affect children below the age of six months, recent studies indicate a much larger risk to the population than acknowledged by the EPA. A 24 yearlong study was performed on multiple cities and towns in Iowa focusing on the correlation of women developing bladder cancer and levels of nitrates contaminating the drinking water. This particular study “Estimates a greater relative risk of bladder cancer among postmenopausal women in Iowa whose drinking water source had higher long-term average nitrate levels, with statistically significant association for those with 4 or more years at levels greater than half the maximum contaminant level” (drinking water nitrate). Environmental Health Perspectives states, “Urinary bladder cancer (in 2015) is the sixth most common malignancy in the Unites States” (Environmental health perspectives). These findings alone could make …show more content…
“Water fluoridation has been identified by the CDC as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century” (morbidity). Although one cannot argue that fluoride has been a contributor in preventing tooth decay and cavities since the 1940’s, one also must contribute equal amounts of positive dental health to an increase in dentist along with more public education on dental hygiene. In fact, many studies performed in the 1920’s-1960 showed increasing concern over health risks associated with varying levels of fluoride. By the 1940’s much research had shown that “Sodium fluoride is a highly toxic substance and that we did not yet know enough about the impact it might have on bones or other tissues and that there was evidence that drinking water with as little as 1.2 to 3.0 parts per million of fluoride had caused osteosclerosis, spondylosis, osteoporosis and guiter” (Public Health). In 2006, more than 60 years after these major concerns, 69% of the U.S. population received fluoridated water. The EPA currently does not regulate water fluoridation, it does however track concentration of naturally occurring fluoride and set a maximum contaminant level of 4.0. This MCL is nearly 4 times higher than the World Health Organization’s 1994 recommended range of 0.5-1.0 mg/l. Continually, the EPA has chosen to not regulate the fluoride levels being added