Metal Water

In America there is the widespread conception that tap water that runs in sinks is unsafe for consumption and should not be drunk. How true is this conclusion? Is this a misconception or is tap water really dangerous? Luckily scientists across America had the same question.

Is Tap Water Safe?

Maura Allaire, a water economist at the University of California, Irvine, says it is safe stating that "the U.S. has really safe water,". She is the lead author of the study focusing on the quality of tap water all across the country. The study revealed that most people in the country get properly treated water with regulated levels of minerals that ensure high levels of harmful chemicals like lead are not in the water. What was also noted was that some areas disproportionally were receiving water that did not receive water that met the standards for safe human consumption. One example of this is the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In fact places like Flint with low average household incomes were being affected at a much higher degree with the issue of unsafe water. They found that during the Flint water crisis in 2015, nearly 21 million Americans were getting water from systems that violated health standards. This leads to places like Flint still today not having safe drinking water. The bacteria makes it so that water sometimes runs brown and can get people very sick. Residents of these communities had to buy bottled water in mass or boil all tap water just to bathe or drink. While, for the most part, tap water is perfectly safe, at-risk neighborhoods don't receive the country wide standard of water quality and this pressing concern needs to be addressed as members of Flint even today don't have guaranteed access to safe water despite it being 7 years since the problem arose.