Is tap water drinkable?
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The World Health Organization points out that only about 73% of the world’s population has access to drinking water that is both nearby and free from contamination. This means that billions of people cannot afford this basic luxury. Worse still, at least 1.7 billion people must drink from a water source that is contaminated by human waste.
And while there are notable exceptions like the Flint water crisis, in the United States we have little reason to worry about the safety of our drinking water. “Compared to the risk of disease in other countries around the world, our drinking water fares quite well because we use modern testing methods to ensure that drinking water is safe and free of chemical and microbial contaminants,” says Rachel Noble, a distinguished professor of marine sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Is tap water drinkable?
In the United States, tap water sources are subject to strict regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. This law allows the EPA to set standards and regulations for public drinking water, protecting people from disease-causing germs, contaminants and harmful chemicals. As a result, “the vast majority of American tap water is clean and safe for drinking and everyday use,” says Noble.
The EPA not only sets standards and regulations for what can and cannot be included in public drinking water, it also ensures that the country’s drinking water treatment plants “use advanced contaminant removal technologies to ensure water safety,” says Rianna Murray, director of the graduate division of global, environmental and occupational health at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health.
These treatment plants filter out more than 90 known contaminants, including pathogens, pollutants, heavy metals such as arsenic, and inorganic and organic chemicals and their harmful byproducts, “making the water microbially safe for drinking,” says Susan Richardson, editor in chief of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology and a professor of chemistry at the University of South Carolina.
It is worth noting that all these standards and practices apply only to public drinking water and not to bottled water. Bottled water sold in the country is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has its own standards and regulations.
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How can tap water become unsafe?
Despite all measures taken to ensure the safety of public water sources, chemicals or other contaminants may temporarily compromise the safety of drinking water.
This happens, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, when dangerous levels of heavy metals, harmful germs or chemicals enter the water at the source (groundwater or water from lakes, reservoirs or rivers) or as the water flows through the distribution system after the water treatment plant has already removed germs and chemicals.
Contaminants can enter the water supply through “accidents involving the release of industrial chemicals or through fracking wastewater,” says Richardson.
Murray says lead contamination can occur from aging infrastructure or in older homes that still have lead pipes, utility lines or plumbing. “Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites can also contaminate our drinking water sources and lead to waterborne diseases,” she says. Such contamination can occur from sewage, agricultural runoff, animal feces or other sources of pollution that enter the public water supply.
“While contamination or water quality issues do occur, we have systems in place to resolve the problems quickly, including regulatory oversight, public notification and corrective action by water utilities,” Noble says.
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How do you know if your drinking water is unsafe?
In addition to following the news and reports, it is also possible to identify contaminated water by its appearance (beware of cloudy, foamy or discolored water), its smell (avoid water that smells sulfurous or smells like chlorine or swampland) and its taste (avoid water that tastes salty, oily, fishy, gritty or metallic).
If you suspect contaminated water, you can notify your utility company, your local health department, or the EPA directly. “You can also check the cleanliness of your tap water with home water testing kits,” says Murray.
It can also help to prevent potential contaminants from entering your home in the first place. That doesn’t mean you should opt for bottled water — “because bottled water doesn’t undergo the same rigorous testing as tap water and we’re contributing to the plastic problem when we use too much of it,” says Richardson — but you should instead consider installing a water filtration system, reverse osmosis filter or UV water purification system.
“It may not be economically viable for all Americans, but if people can afford it, I often recommend countertop filter systems,” says Noble.
She reiterates that “the number of disease outbreaks attributable to tap water in the United States is relatively low per capita. However, by being informed and using commercially available filtration systems, one can reduce the risk of exposure to chemicals and microbial contamination from tap water.”
