Drinking Problems
A Kansas town confronts a tap-water crisis

Publisher:  Harper's Magazine
Year Published:  2018
Resource Type:  Article

Investigation on the drinking water crisis in the US, examinign the sources of contamination, the inadequate regulatory responses, and the potential helath consequences of long-term exposure to pollutants in the country's water supply.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

"Today, despite a spate of recent news reports about chemical spills, fracking, and the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, manyy Americans still take their drinking water for granted. They assume that the federal and state regulations designed to protect them from contaminated water are beikng enforced, and that their utilities are providing safe water, but in manyh cases, these assumptions are wrong. From lead and the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) to arsenic and nitrates, the list of contaminants found in U.S. drinking water is long and alarming, and the cost of addresssing the problem are high. Meanwhile, the burden of toxic exposure falls disproportionately on poor communities, who often lack the resources and political power to advocate for themselves."