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If you have been wondering what is in your tap water, the Enviromental Working Group’s Tap Water Database can give you insight into what you are drinking.
According to the Enviromental Working Group (EWG) the non-profit organization specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants, and corporate accountability.
The EWG Tap Water Database allows residents to look up their town through zip code. According to their website, “EWG’s drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database. For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2021-March 2021), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.”
From a sample collected early in 2021, the tap water provided was considered in compliance with the federal government. However, as the website points out, “legal does not equal safe. Getting a pasing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.”
According to EWG’s information, for the town of Watertown, there are eight contaminants detected which exceed EWG health guidelines and 21 contaminants in total. The EWG health guidelines are determined under the levels of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose significant health risks. Hence, the eight exeeding contaminants found in our water supply are considered to pose a significant health risk, according to the organization’s health guidelines.
The eight exeeding contaminats found in the tap water sample are: Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Total trihalomethanes, and Trichloroacetic acid.
These contaminants have been linked to increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy.
Although the EWG provides some great insight into our water, the organization has found itself in controversy. The organization has mainly been criticized because of the funding they receive by the organic food industry. Some feel that this creates biased reporting.
Even if you have a biased opinion for the information provided by the EWG, it is a better practice to drink filtered water. Whether you have one built into your water system or use a Brita filter.
You can check out the following link to get a detailed breakdown of the contaminants found:
