El Paso Water Quality Control

10/03/2023

Study says drinking water from nearly half of US faucets contains potentially harmful chemicals

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Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday.

The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Researchers described the study as the first nationwide effort to test for PFAS in tap water from private sources in addition to regulated ones. It builds on previous scientific findings that the chemicals are widespread, showing up in consumer products as diverse as nonstick pans, food packaging and water-resistant clothing and making their way into water supplies.

Because the USGS is a scientific research agency, the report makes no policy recommendations. But the information “can be used to evaluate risk of exposure and inform decisions about whether or not you want to treat your drinking water, get it tested or get more information from your state” about the situation locally, said lead author Kelly Smalling, a research hydrologist.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March proposed the first federal drinking water limits on six forms of PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, which remain in the human body for years and don’t degrade in the environment. A final decision is expected later this year or in 2024.

But the government hasn’t prohibited companies using the chemicals from dumping them into public wastewater systems, said Scott Faber, a senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization.

“We should be treating this problem where it begins, instead of putting up a stoplight after the accident,” he said. “We should be requiring polluters to treat their own wastes.”

Studies of lab animals have found potential links between PFAS chemicals and some cancers, including kidney and testicular, plus issues such as high blood pressure and low birth weight.

Federal and state programs typically measure exposure to pollutants such as PFAS at water treatment plants or groundwater wells that supply them, Smalling said. In contrast, the USGS report was based on samples from taps in 716 locations, including 447 that rely on public supplies and 269 using private wells.

The samples were taken between 2016 and 2021 in a range of locations — mostly residences but also a few schools and offices. They included protected lands such as national parks; residential and rural areas with no identified PFAS sources; and urban centers with industry or waste sites known to generate PFAS.

Most taps were sampled just once. Three were sampled multiple times over a three-month period, with results changing little, Smalling said.

Scientists tested for 32 PFAS compounds — most of the ones detectable through available methods. Thousands of others are believed to exist but can’t be spotted with current technology, Smalling said.

The types found most often were PFBS, PFHxS and PFOA. Also making frequent appearances was PFOS, one of the most common nationwide.

Positive samples contained as many as nine varieties, although most were closer to two. The median concentration was around seven parts per trillion for all 32 PFAS types, although for PFOA and PFOS it was about four parts per trillion — the limit EPA has proposed for those two compounds.

The heaviest exposures were in cities and near potential sources of the compounds, particularly in the Eastern Seaboard; Great Lakes and Great Plains urban centers; and Central and Southern California. Many of the tests, mostly in rural areas, found no PFAS.

Based on the data, researchers estimated that at least one form of PFAS could be found in about 45% of tap water samples nationwide.

The study underscores that private well users should have their water tested for PFAS and consider installing filters, said Faber of the Environmental Working Group. Filters containing activated carbon or reverse osmosis membranes can remove the compounds.

The USGS study is “further evidence that PFAS is incredibly pervasive and folks who rely on private wells are particularly vulnerable to the harms caused by these chemicals,” Faber said.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines. Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years. EL PASO WATER QUALITY CONTROL is engaged to provide our people the information we need to protect ourselves and take care of our loved ones. High percentage of health problems comes from the contaminants we receive on our tap water. EPWQC is not part the local water utilities.

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CONTAMINANTS FOUND IN OUR TAP WATER
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17 CONTAMINANTS FOUND ON THESE ZIP CODES.

1. ARSENIC: Potential effect CANCER. is a potent carcinogen and common contaminant in drinking water. Arsenic causes thousands of cases of cancer each year in the U.S. Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral that causes bladder, lung and skin cancer as well as harm to the skin and lungs. Arsenic is found in drinking water in all 50 states, and can also contaminate food. EPA analysis suggests that arsenic is much more toxic than previously estimated. Arsenic in drinking water comes from natural, industrial and agricultural sources. A study by Margaret Kurzius-Spencer of the University of Arizona found that when drinking water levels of arsenic are above 10 ppb. Both the EPA and the World Health Organization have determined that arsenic is a “known human carcinogen,” based on indisputable evidence that arsenic exposures increase the risk of bladder, lung and skin cancer. Other evidence suggests it can cause liver, kidney and prostate cancers. Arsenic can also cause skin lesions, harm to the kidneys and other internal organs, and cardiovascular disease. Some studies have found lung cancer risks associated with drinking water exposures. Animal and human studies suggest that the cancer-causing effects of arsenic are particularly severe when exposures take place during pregnancy and early childhood. A study by Marisa Naujokas, of the MDB consulting firm in North Carolina, found that prenatal exposure can not only increase cancer risk but also impair intelligence, cause behavioral problems and harm the developing immune system. EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System program reassessed the potency of arsenic and determined it was 17 times more toxic than previously estimated. However, due to political pressure, the EPA has not finalized this draft assessment. Limiting arsenic in drinking water is prudent, since people are also exposed through their diets, including through otherwise healthy foods.The EPA must lower the legal limit for arsenic in drinking water, work with water utilities to filter out arsenic.You can find out whether arsenic contamination is a problem in your drinking water by checking EWG’s Tap Water Database or contacting your water utility.

References
D. Baris et al. Elevated Bladder Cancer in Northern New England: The Role of Drinking Water and Arsenic. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2016, 108(9). pii: djw099.
EPA. Drinking Water Arsenic Rule History.
Available at www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/drinking-water-arsenic-rule-history
EPA. Office of Research and Development, Assessment Development Plan for the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic. 2015. http://ofmpub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile...
FDA. Arsenic-Based Animal Drugs and Poultry.
Available at http://www.fda.gov/.../productsafetyinforma.../ucm257540.html
M. Kurzius-Spencer et al. Contribution of Diet to Aggregate Arsenic Exposures – An Analysis Across Populations. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 2014, 24:156–162.
M.F. Naujokas et al. The Broad Scope of Health Effects from Chronic Arsenic Exposure: Update on a Worldwide Public Health Problem. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2013, 121(3):295–302.
Available at ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1205875/
World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 100C. Arsenic, Metals, Fibres, and Dusts. 2012.
Available at monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol100C/mono100C-6.pdf

2. BROMATE: Potential Effect: CANCER. Bromate is a carcinogenic disinfection byproduct formed when source waters containing bromide are treated with ozonation or sodium hypochlorite. Studies of laboratory animals show that bromate damages DNA and causes cancer in multiple organs. This unintended chemical pollutant increase the risk of cancer and may damage the developing fetus.Studies find that drinking tap water with disinfection byproducts increases the risk of bladder cancer. Disinfection byproducts also increase the risk of problems during pregnancy, including miscarriage, cardiovascular defects, neural tube defects and low birth weight. The EPA standards were negotiated based on the technical feasibility and cost of water treatment and did not consider the long-term toxicity of these contaminants. A study by Stig Regli and other EPA scientists estimated that increased bromide concentrations in drinking water sources produce a significant increase in bladder cancer risk.Water utilities should work with nearby farms to reduce the fertilizer, nitrogen and animal waste entering drinking water sources. EWG recommends using a home filtration system to treat disinfection byproducts in your tap water. Simple filtration methods, such as countertop carbon filters, can decrease the levels of common disinfection byproducts in water, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.
References
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assesssment. Memorandum: Proposed Action Level for Chlorate. 2002. Available at http://oehha.ca.gov/chemicals/chlorate
California OEHHA. Final Public Health Goal for Bromate in Drinking Water. 2009. Available at http://oehha.ca.gov/.../final-public-health-goal-bromate...
Evans S et al. Analysis of Cumulative Cancer Risk Associated with Disinfection Byproducts in United States Drinking Water. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2020, 17(6): 2149. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062149
Diana M et al. Disinfection byproducts potentially responsible for the association between chlorinated drinking water and bladder cancer: A review. Water Research, 2019, 162:492–504.

3. BROMOCHLOROACETIC ACID: Potential Effect: CANCER. Bromochloroacetic acid is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Bromochloroacetic acid and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Status: No national drinking water standard exists
References
Kogevinas M. Epidemiological Approaches in the Investigation of Environmental Causes of Cancer: The Case of Dioxins and Water Disinfection By-Products. Environmental Health, 2011, 10 Suppl. 1: S3.
Li XF and Mitch WA. Drinking Water Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) and Human Health Effects: Multidisciplinary Challenges and Opportunities. Environmental Science & Technology, 2018, 52(4): 1681–1689.
National Toxicology Program, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Draft Report on Carcinogens Concept Di- and Tri-Haloacetic Acids Found as Water Disinfection By-Products. 2016. Available athttp://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/.../bsc/2016/april/haa_508.pdf

4. BROMODICHLOROMETHANE: Potential Effect: CANCER: one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Bromodichloromethane and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Causes Cancer, harm to reproduction and child development, change to fetal growth and development.
References
Regli S et al. Estimating Potential Increased Bladder Cancer Risk Due to Increased Bromide Concentrations in Sources of Disinfected Drinking Waters. Environmental Science & Technology, 2015, 49(22): 13094–13102.
Rivera-Núñez Z and Wright JM. Exposure to Disinfectant By-products and the Risk of Stillbirth in Massachusetts. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2018, 75(10): 742–751.
Roberson JA et al., The D/DBP Rule: Where Did the Numbers Come From? Journal American Water Works Association, 1995, 87(10):46–57.

5. BROMOFORM: Potential Effect: CANCER: one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Bromoform and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Causes Cancer, harmto reproduction and child development, change to fetal growth and development.
References
California OEHHA. First Public Review Draft, Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water: Chloroform, Bromoform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane. 2018. Available at https://oehha.ca.gov/.../announcement-availability-draft....
Colman J. Identification of Developmentally Toxic Drinking Water Disinfection Byproducts and Evaluation of Data Relevant to Mode of Action. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 2011, 254(2):100–126.

6. CHLOROFORM: Potential Effect:Cancer. Chloroform, one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Chloroform and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. There is no legal limit.
References
NTP, RoC Review of Haloacetic Acids Found as Water Disinfection By-Products. 2018. Available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pub.../roc/listings/haa/index.html
Pressman JG et al. Concentration, Chlorination, and Chemical Analysis of Drinking Water for Disinfection Byproduct Mixtures Health Effects Research: U.S. EPA’s Four Lab Study. Environmental Science & Technology, 2010, 44(19):7184–7192

7. CHROMIUM(hexavalent): Potential Effect: CANCER; is a carcinogen that commonly contaminates American drinking water. Chromium (hexavalent) in drinking water may be due to industrial pollution or natural occurrences in mineral deposits and groundwater. Chromium-6 is the cancer-causing chemical made notorious by the film “Erin Brockovich,” which documented the poisoning of drinking water in Hinkley, Calif. Chromium gets into drinking water as pollution from industrial uses, such as a coolant at electrical power stations, but also occurs naturally in some areas.In 2008 the National Toxicology Program found that water contaminated with chromium-6 causes cancer.Public health goals are not legally enforceable,lawmakers set a legal limit for chromium-6 in drinking water of 10 ppb – still far too high to fully protect public health.The National Toxicology Program's two-year study found a significant increase of stomach and intestinal tumors in rats and mice that consumed chromium-6 in drinking water. Scientists reported an increased risk of stomach cancer in workers exposed to chromium-6. EPA completed a draft health assessment, concluding that relatively low doses of chromium-6 could increase cancer risk, but industry pressure has delayed completion of the draft.The EPA must set a health-protective legal limit and fund efforts to clean up the most contaminated water systems. All standards must consider the additional risks to infants, children and other people who are more vulnerable to chromium-6 exposure and toxicity.In the absence of regulations, we recommend using a home water filter to remove chromium-6. Ion-exchange pitcher filters and under-sink reverse osmosis filters both remove chromium-6, but reverse osmosis is more expensive. Before purchasing any filter, make sure it is certified to remove chromium-6.

References
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Final Technical Support Document on Public Health Goal for Hexavalent Chromium in Drinking Water. 2011. www.oehha.ca.gov/water/phg/072911Cr6PHG.html
Evironmental Protection Agency. Chromium Compounds Hazard Summary. 2000.http://www.epa.gov/.../documents/chromium-compounds.pdf
EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium (2010 External Review Draft). 2010. Available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris_drafts/recordisplay.cfm...
EWG. “Erin Brockovich” Carcinogen in Tap Water of More Than 200 Million Americans. 2016. www.ewg.org/research/chromium-six-found-in-us-tap-water
Hong Sun et al. Oral Chromium Exposure and Toxicity. Current Environmental Health Reports, 2015, 2(3):295–303. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4522702/
National Toxicology Program. Technical Report on the Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Sodium Dichromate Dihydrate (CAS No. 7789-12-0) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Drinking Water Studies). ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/lt_rpts/tr546.pdf
New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute. Meeting Minutes. Sept. 10, 2010.
Roberta Welling et al. Chromium VI and Stomach Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of the Current Epidemiological Evidence. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 2015, 72(2):151–159. Available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25231674

8. DIBROMOACETIC ACID: Potential Effect: CANCER: one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Causes Cancer and change to fetal and development.
References
Villanueva CM et al. Overview of Disinfection By-Products and Associated Health Effects. Current Environmental Health Reports, 2015, 2(1):107–115.
Wright JM et al. Disinfection By-Product Exposures and the Risk of Specific Cardiac Birth Defects. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2017, 125(2):269–277

9. DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE: Potential Effect: Cancer. one of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Dibromochloromethane and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Drinking-water disinfection is essential. It saves people from dying of microbial diseases such as dysentery and cholera. But when chlorine and other disinfectants react with plant and animal waste in drinking water supplies, they form harmful contaminants, known collectively as disinfection byproducts. Causes Cancer and there is no legal limit.
References
Roberson JA et al., The D/DBP Rule: Where Did the Numbers Come From? Journal American Water Works Association, 1995, 87(10):46–57.

10. DICHLOROACETIC ACID: Potential Effect: CANCER: one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Causes cancer and there is no legal limit.
References
Duirk SE et al. Formation of Toxic Iodinated Disinfection By-Products from Compounds Used in Medical Imaging. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011, 45(16):6845–6854.
Kaufman JA et al. Associations Between Disinfection By-Product Exposures and Craniofacial Birth Defects. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2018, 60(2): 109-119.

11. HALOACETIC ACIDS (HAA5): Potential Effect: CANCER: Haloacetic acids are formed when disinfectants such as chlorine are added to tap water. The group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards includes monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid.Haloacetic acids are formed when disinfectants such as chlorine are added to tap water. The group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards includes monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid.
Haloacetic acids are harmful during pregnancy and may increase the risk of cancer. Haloacetic acids are� genotoxic, which means that they induce mutations and DNA damage. Multiple studies by the National Toxicology Program have demonstrated the cancer-causing properties of individual haloacetic acids in laboratory animals. The Department of Health and Human Services is currently considering listing di- or tri-haloacetic acids for possible inclusion in its comprehensive Report on Carcinogens.
References
Rivera-Núñez Z and Wright JM. Association of brominated trihalomethane and haloacetic acid exposure with fetal growth and preterm delivery in Massachusetts. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2013, 55(10): 1125–34.

12. HALOACETIC ACIDS (HAA9)Potenital Effect: Cancer:Haloacetic acids are formed when disinfectants such as chlorine are added to tap water. The group of nine haloacetic acids includes monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid, which are regulated as a group by the federal government (HAA5); and bromochloroacetic acid, bromodichloroacetic acid, chlorodibromoacetic acid, and tribromoacetic acid.Haloacetic acids are harmful during pregnancy and may increase the risk of cancer. Haloacetic acids are genotoxic, which means that they induce mutations and DNA damage. Multiple studies by the National Toxicology Program have demonstrated the cancer-causing properties of individual haloacetic acids in laboratory animals. The Department of Health and Human Services is currently considering listing di- or tri-haloacetic acids for possible inclusion in its comprehensive Report on Carcinogens.

13. NITRATE: Potential Effect: CANCER: Nitrate is one of the most common contaminants in drinking water. It gets into water from fertilizer runoff, manure from animal feeding operations and wastewater treatment plant discharge.Epidemiological research suggests that the federal nitrate limit does not sufficiently protect public health. Studies conducted in the U.S. and in other countries found greater incidence of colorectal, ovarian, thyroid, kidney and bladder cancers among people exposed to nitrate in drinking water.Epidemiological studies also report that nitrate contamination of tap water can harm the developing fetus. EWG’s Tap Water Database data for 2019 show that 237 million people drink water from a public water system with detectable levels of nitrate.Removing nitrate from water requires expensive and energy-intensive treatment technologies. So it is critical to prevent nitrate pollution of groundwater and surface water by reducing the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers and by using farming techniques that limit nitrate runoff from the fields. For many tap water quality issues, consumers find a filter that can remove specific contaminants.Reverse osmosis can remove, but this technology is relatively expensive. Still, if your water has excessive nitrate, investing in a reverse osmosis filter may be appropriate.
References
B. Aschebrook-Kilfoy et al. Modeled Nitrate Levels in Well Water Supplies and Prevalence of Abnormal Thyroid Conditions Among the Old Order Amish in Pennsylvania. Environmental Health, 2012;11:6.
J.D. Brender and P.J. Weyer. Agricultural Compounds in Water and Birth Defects. Current Environmental Health Reports, 2016;3(2):144–152.
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Draft Public Health Goal for Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water. 2016. Available at http://oehha.ca.gov/.../draft-technical-support-document...
A.J. De Roos et al. Nitrate in Public Water Supplies and the Risk of Colon and Re**um Cancers. Epidemiology. 2003;14(6):640–649.
N. Espejo-Hererra et al. Colorectal cancer risk and nitrate exposure through drinking water and diet, International Journal of Cancer. 2016;139(2):334–46.
M. Inoue-Choi et al. Nitrate and Nitrite Ingestion and Risk of Ovarian Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women in Iowa, International Journal of Cancer. 2015;137(1): 173–182.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Vol. 94. Ingested Nitrate and Nitrite and Cyanobacterial Peptide Toxins, 2010. Available at monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol94/index.php
R.R. Jones et al. Ingested Nitrate, Disinfection By-Products, and Kidney Cancer in Older Women. Epidemiology, 2017; 28(5):703–711.
R.R. Jones et al. Nitrate from Drinking Water and Diet and Bladder Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women in Iowa. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2016; 124(11):1751–1758.
B.A. Kilfoy et al. Dietary Nitrate and Nitrite and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. International Journal of Cancer, 2011;129(1): 160–172.
National Research Council. The Health Effects of Nitrate, Nitrite, and N-Nitroso Compounds. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1981.
National Research Council, Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1995.
B.T. Nolan and J.D. Stoner, Nutrients in Groundwaters of the Conterminous United States, 1992–1995. Environmental Science and Technology, 2000;34:1156–1165.
Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. 1962 Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards. Available at nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=2000TP5L.TXT.
J. Schullehner et al. Nitrate in drinking water and colorectal cancer risk: A nationwide population‐based cohort study, Cancer Epidemiology. 2018;143(1):73–79.
A. Temkin et al. Exposure-based assessment and economic valuation of adverse birth outcomes and cancer risk due to nitrate in United States drinking water. Environmental Research, 2019; 176:108442.
M.H. Ward et al. Nitrate in Public Water Supplies and the Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancer Causes and Control, 2007;18(10):1141–1151.
M.H. Ward et al., Nitrate Intake and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer and Thyroid Disease. Epidemiology, 2010;21(3):389–395.
P.J. Weyer et al. Municipal Drinking Water Nitrate Level and Cancer Risk in Older Women: The Iowa Women's Health Study. Epidemiology, 2001;12(3):327–338.
14. RADIUM, COMBINED(-226 & -228) Potential Effect: CANCER: Radium is a radioactive element that causes bone cancer and other cancers. It can occur naturally in groundwater, and oil and gas extraction activities such as hydraulic fracturing can elevate concentrations. Radium releases radioactive particles that harm health in many ways, causing tumors in bone, lungs and other organs; leukemia; and skin and blood damage.Federal law allows up to 5 picocuries per liter of combined radium-226 and radium-228 in tap water. Research by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that more than 20 percent of sampled wells have radium in levels exceeding the federal drinking water limit. And the legal limit does not equate safety:The Environmental Protection Agency has classified all ionizing radiation as “known to cause cancer in humans” and has set a health guideline of zero for all radioactive elements in drinking water. But federal legal limits for radiation and radioactive contaminants are based on the cost and feasibility of removing the contaminants. They don’t always reflect the amount of exposure that the EPA and other public health agencies consider to be safe for human health.Federal law requires water companies to monitor radioactivity levels in drinking water systems that serve more than 25 customers. EWG’s Tap Water Database reports that more than a dozen different radioactive elements are detected in American tap water. The most common are beryllium, radon, radium, strontium, tritium and uranium. Water systems sometimes screen for groups of radiation-emitting substances, and report total alpha or beta particle activity instead of individual substances.EWG data show that radioactive contaminants are detected in water serving 165 million people across the U.S. There is clear evidence that high doses of radiation cause cancer in various organs.Different types of radioactive elements are associated with different health effects, and all of them increase the risk of cancer.
Radium is most strongly associated with bone cancer but may also cause cancer in other parts of the body.
Radon, a radioactive gas, escapes into the air in homes and is absorbed primarily through inhalation; radon exposure increases the risk of lung cancer.
Uranium causes kidney damage, in addition to cancer.
Strontium-90 is stored in the bones, and causes bone cancer and leukemia.
Recent research also finds that radioactive substances may damage the nervous, immune and endocrine systems.Americans whose water comes from systems serving fewer than 25 people, and those who drink well water, are not notified of the presence of radioactive compounds in their water.
The federal government needs to do much more to protect people from radioactive contaminants in water, by requiring more extensive radiation testing and better disclosure, and tightening the legal limits to bring them closer to the health goal of zero radiation in drinking water.
References
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Public Health Goals (PHGs) Available at oehha.ca.gov/water/public-health-goals-phgs.
California State Water Resources Control Board. Groundwater Information Sheet: Radionuclides. 2016.

Environmental Protection Agency. 2012 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories. EPA 822-S-12-001.
EPA. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations; Radionuclides; Final Rule Environmental Protection Agency. Dec. 7, 2000. 65 FR 76707.

EPA. Radiation Health Effects. www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-health-effects
EPA. Radon Program. Available at www.epa.gov/radon
EPA. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. 2017.

Available at http://www.epa.gov/.../national-primary-drinking-water...
K.B. Moysich et al. Chernobyl-Related Ionising Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risk: An Epidemiological Review. Lancet Oncology 2002, 3(5):269–279.
B. Weinhold. Unknown Quantity: Regulating Radionuclides in Tap Water. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2012. Available athttp://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/.../upl.../2012/09/ehp.120-a350.pdf
15. TOTAL TRIHALOMETHANES(TTHMs) Potential Effect:CANCER: Trihalomethanes are cancer-causing contaminants that form during water treatment with chlorine and other disinfectants. The total trihalomethanes group includes four chemicals: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform. Studies conducted in the U.S. and Europe have found that drinking tap water that carries disinfection byproducts increases the risk of developing bladder cancer. In animal studies, all trihalomethanes cause liver, kidney and intestinal tumors. Some human epidemiological studies also reported an association between disinfection byproducts and an increased risk of problems during pregnancy, including spontaneous miscarriage, cardiovascular defects, neural tube defects and low birth weight. Causes Bladder Cancer, Skin Cancer, Harm to fatal growth and development.
16. Nitrate and Nitrite: Potential Effect:Cancer Nitrate and nitrite enter water from fertilizer runoff, septic tanks and urban runoff. These contaminants can cause oxygen deprivation for infants and increase the risk of cancer. Nitrite is significantly more toxic than nitrate, causes Cancer
References
B. Aschebrook-Kilfoy et al. Modeled Nitrate Levels in Well Water Supplies and Prevalence of Abnormal Thyroid Conditions Among the Old Order Amish in Pennsylvania. Environmental Health, 2012;11:6.
J.D. Brender and P.J. Weyer. Agricultural Compounds in Water and Birth Defects. Current Environmental Health Reports, 2016;3(2):144–152.
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Draft Public Health Goal for Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water. 2016. Available at http://oehha.ca.gov/.../draft-technical-support-document...
A.J. De Roos et al. Nitrate in Public Water Supplies and the Risk of Colon and Re**um Cancers. Epidemiology. 2003;14(6):640–649.
N. Espejo-Hererra et al. Colorectal cancer risk and nitrate exposure through drinking water and diet, International Journal of Cancer. 2016;139(2):334–46.
M. Inoue-Choi et al. Nitrate and Nitrite Ingestion and Risk of Ovarian Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women in Iowa, International Journal of Cancer. 2015;137(1): 173–182.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Vol. 94. Ingested Nitrate and Nitrite and Cyanobacterial Peptide Toxins, 2010. Available at monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol94/index.php
R.R. Jones et al. Ingested Nitrate, Disinfection By-Products, and Kidney Cancer in Older Women. Epidemiology, 2017; 28(5):703–711.
R.R. Jones et al. Nitrate from Drinking Water and Diet and Bladder Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women in Iowa. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2016; 124(11):1751–1758.
B.A. Kilfoy et al. Dietary Nitrate and Nitrite and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. International Journal of Cancer, 2011;129(1): 160–172.
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17. TRICHLOROACETIC ACID: Potential Effect: CANCER:Trichloroacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy.
18. URANIUM: Potential Effect:Cancer:Uranium is a known human carcinogen. The federal legal limit for uranium is set at 30 micrograms per liter (corresponding to parts per billion), but utilities can also report uranium in picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is a measure of radioactivity in water. EWG translated all uranium results to pCi/L using a conversion factor developed by the EPA.Multiple forms of uranium can be detected in water, including uranium-234, uranium-235 and uranium-238. Uranium-234 is the most toxic form of uranium for human health. Causes Cancer and Harm to the Kidney.

REQUEST A TEST OF YOUR WATER TODAY
El Paso Water Quality Control
Office hours: 8am-5pm Mon-Fri
Phone: 915-261-1333
[email protected]

Most utilities provide water that gets a passing grade from the government, but that doesn’t mean there’s no need to worry about contamination, or that we don’t need to advance water equity. One of the best ways to push for cleaner water is to hold accountable the elected officials who have a say in water quality – from city hall and the state legislature to Congress all the way to the Oval Office – by asking questions and demanding answers.
Here are seven questions that will get you started.

1. What’s in my tap water?
Does your mayor, city councilmember or state representative know what are the biggest concerns for your local tap water? Do they realize that even if the tap water meets federal standards, that doesn’t mean it’s free of potentially harmful contaminants? Your tap water could contain neurotoxic or cancer-causing chemicals, many of which are not covered under federal drinking water regulations.
Millions of Americans drink tap water with contaminants at levels that, though legal, could pose a risk to health.
Ask your local officials and your water utility to test more extensively than either state or federal regulations require. Broader testing provides a better picture of what’s in your water.

2. Why are these contaminants in my water?
With contaminants, the first issue is whether they come from a local source, such as an abandoned waste site; underground storage tanks and septic tanks; or from the entire watershed, which would include fertilizers and pesticides.
Tap water contaminants could be in the river or groundwater that supplies your system and not get removed by treatment processes before being piped to your home. Some contaminants are produced by the treatment process itself.
Understanding the source of the problem is the first step toward addressing it.

3. How does our water system remove contaminants?
Make sure elected officials do their homework about drinking water quality, so they know what water treatment methods already exist at your local utility, as well as what additional treatments may need to be installed to ensure good quality water.
To treat water, most water systems use a basic process that removes larger particles through sedimentation and filtration, followed by disinfection to kill disease-causing pathogens.
But this conventional water treatment approach cannot remove many types of contaminants, such as PFAS, the fertilizer chemical nitrate, volatile solvents such as the dry-cleaning chemical perc, and radioactive substances. To treat PFAS or pesticides, many water systems install additional treatment, for example, granular activated carbon.
Advanced treatment can remove many contaminants and, increasingly, water utilities and the communities they serve are investing in such equipment to provide better water. These technologies require long-term planning and financing, so involving local officials early and often is essential.

4. How are you investing in better water treatment technology to improve water quality?
Tell your elected officials at all levels of government they must invest in protecting drinking water quality.
At the local level, a change in the process used at a water treatment plant can make a big difference, and scientists are working on new and improved technologies to treat tap water. But such changes and technologies can be expensive to adopt, particularly for small water utilities, so state and federal support for water infrastructure is essential.
At the national level, water quality could be improved with better protection of source water, expanded test requirements and the establishment of health-protective standards for unregulated chemicals.

5. What are you doing to create sustainable funding for our water systems?
Make sure your elected officials budget for the water treatment needed now and in the future.
U.S. water systems urgently need investment. In its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation’s water infrastructure a "D." According to research by the Environmental Protection Agency Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, the U.S. needs to invest more than $600 billion in water infrastructure improvements over the next 20 years.
Without a sustainable source of funding, our water infrastructure will continue to age, and our water quality will suffer.

6. How are you protecting our source water to keep pollution from getting into water in the first place?
So far, both Congress and state legislatures have failed to require important source water protection measures, like buffer zones around rivers and reservoirs. This forces water utilities to invest heavily in treatment, which is expensive and can lead to disinfection byproducts that are themselves harmful to health.
Tell your officials that source water protection is a must for ensuring the quality and supply of our water in the long term.

7. How are you making sure that good, clean water remains affordable for all residents?
Every American deserves access to safe, clean, affordable drinking water from the tap. Meeting this challenge won’t be easy – local water utilities are dealing with increased source contamination, and state and federal agencies are facing budget constraints. That’s why advocacy has never been more important.
Letting officials at all levels know that you care about safe, affordable tap water will help keep the issue on the agenda and ensure that all Americans have water they can count on.