Drinking water of 97M Americans contaminated with unregulated chemicals how to limit your exposure

Let this sink in.Over 97 million Americans have been exposed to toxic, unregulated contaminants in their drinking water that could harm their health, according to a new study that adds to growing concerns about the quality of US tap water.The Environmental Protection Agency sets legal limits on over 90 contaminants in drinking water.In their new research, scientists at the nonprofit Silent Spring Institute found that 27% of the 4,800 public water systems it analyzed had detectable levels of at least one of four “harmful” kinds of chemicals not regulated by the EPA.The chemicals Silent Spring highlighted are:Silent Spring crunched EPA data from 2013 to 2015 for its analysis.

Study co-author Laurel Schaider, a Silent Spring senior scientist, told The Post that the EPA is doing another round of testing but that data is not available yet.There are more than 12,000 types of PFAS — and current testing methods cannot detect all of them.The EPA announced in April that it will begin regulating six types of PFAS in drinking water in 2029 to reduce exposure for 100 million people.Silent Spring found that Hispanic and black Americans are at higher risk of exposure to contaminants in drinking water since they are more likely to live near pollution sources, such as wastewater treatment plants, airports, military training areas and industrial sites.The study findings were published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.The research follows the identification of a mysterious, potentially toxic chemical byproduct found in treated drinking water consumed by millions of Americans.Subscribe to our weekly Post Care newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.

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If you’re concerned about the quality of your tap water, Schaider suggests contacting your local water utility or health depart...