As many as 45 million Americans are supplied with tap water that fails to meet basic health standards. In a review of federal and state records for 1994-1995, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found troubling information. (This information is updated regularly. Please visit www.ewg.org.)

Over 25 million people used water contaminated by bacteria, with over 12,000 public water systems in violation of basic water quality standards. Another 5 million had lead levels above regulations. Inadequate water treatment was a problem for 20 million consumers. In looking at several U.S. agricultural states, the EWG found that more than 14 million people used tap water routinely contaminated with five major herbicides.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advise that anyone with a compromised immune system should consult a physician before drinking ordinary tap water. The American Water Works Association (AWWA), a trade group for water utilities, advises all individuals with the HIV virus to boil tap water before drinking it.

Sources of water contamination and toxic exposure:

• Many municipalities add fluoride to drinking water to assist in the prevention of cavities, but many studies suggest this to be an antiquated method no longer necessary. Cavity prevention has more effective strategies today. Besides, isolated flouride (that is unbound to other naturally occuring minerals and nutrients in a whole food source) in certain concentrations has known toxic effects.

• Chlorine, added to kill bacteria in the water also kills the beneficial bacteria in our intestines (acidophilus, bifidus, and 398 other probiotic strains). Chlorine is a corrosive chemical that can wreak havoc internally and externally. Much dry and irritated skin is a result of showering, washing, and bathing in chlorinated water. As if this wasn't bad enough, it has also been discovered that when chlorine mixes with microscopic bits of organic matter in the water supply (like microscopic bits of leaves), an entire new category of toxic chemicals is created called trihalomethanes (THMs). This class of out-gassing chemicals includes chloroform, which can be responsible for part of the drowsiness one feels after a long, hot, chlorinated shower.

• Other contaminants found in our water supplies include pesticides, herbicides, inorganic chemical fertilizers (such as nitrates), heavy metals (such as cadmium, lead, and mercury), petrochemical derivatives, dioxins, radioactive compounds (such as radium, radon and uranium), as well as countless varieties of organic compounds, viruses, and bacteria.

Some references for possible solutions...