"Some 36 million Americans drink water that's contaminated" "Some 36 million Americans drink water that's contaminated" 
"Tap water may cause illness in elderly" 
"U.S. drinking water quality data flawed" 
MTBE Disaster 
Setting Boundaries With Chlorinated Water 
Water Safety 820
College of Health and Nutrition
Contaminants in our Water Supply
9/2/99 Updated 01:14 AM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency audit suggests there are tens of thousands more cases a year than previously documented in which water systems break safety rules.
Violations range from missed water quality tests to contamination problems.
"It's likely that regulators are unaware of many health risks to consumers that have been going on for extended periods," says Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.
The audit, obtained by USA TODAY, reviews the accuracy of the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS).
The state-federal database is the main depository for information on 170,000 public water systems that must meet water quality and testing standards. It also is the basis for an EPA Web site that lets consumers check systems' records.
The audit blames many of the database's shortcomings on state regulators, who have primary responsibility for enforcing safety rules. Based on a sampling of state files and water system records, the audit finds that 80% of the unlisted violations are missing because states didn't report them.
Other problems include glitches in data transfers and different interpretations of what constitutes a violation.
State officials note that all but 10% of the unreported violations involve failure to test properly. Many are missed deadlines or other errors that my not involve safety.
Most are resolved by "the water system and a (state) field engineer to our satisfaction" without being reported, says David Spath, head of California's drinking water program.
In an investigation last October, USA TODAY reviewed SDWIS data and found 40,000 water systems with violations of testing and purity standards. Of those, 9,500 systems serving 25 million people had violations that the EPA deemed "serious threats to public health."
The new audit suggests that the violations found by the newspaper might reflect just 12% of what is really occurring; 88% are going unreported.
"This (audit) is part of an overall effort that we're making to improve our data," the EPA's Chuck Fox says. "The job is obviously not done yet."
Contaminants in our Water Supply
NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters Health) -- Even where drinking water standards meet state and federal standards, the elderly may be at increased risk for waterborne gastrointestinal infections from tap water, results of a recent study suggest.
Since hospitalizations and mortality associated with gastrointestinal illness is particularly high among this group, the findings could have significant social and economic implications in the coming years, the authors write in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
"Given the slow aging of the entire US population and the disproportionate burden of gastrointestinal disease in the elderly population, these costs can be expected to rise,'' conclude Dr. Joel Schwartz of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues.
Their study looked at the association between water quality and hospitalizations due to gastrointestinal illness among Philadelphia residents aged 65 years and older in the period 1992 - 1993. According to the investigators, the city's water system met guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) throughout the study period.
Still, 'elderly residents of Philadelphia remain at risk of waterborne gastrointestinal illness under current water treatment practices.'' The researchers note that other studies have found an association between gastrointestinal disease and drinking water elsewhere in the US and Canada.
"Disinfected drinking water in Western countries may still be a source of infectious gastrointestinal illness,'' Schwartz and colleagues write.
They examined Medicare records of Philadelphia residents between 1992 and 1993, as well as daily water exposure measures. Records suggested a correlation between water quality and gastrointestinal illness 9 to 11 days prior to the hospital admission.
In an area serviced by one particular treatment plant, the association occurred after 4 to 6 days. Associations in all areas were stronger among patients over age 75 years, the study found.
Water quality was assessed by turbidity -- or the level of cloudiness of the water -- as determined by the EPA. Turbidity is used to gauge risk of microbial contamination and assess the effectiveness of the treatment of public drinking water.
However, disease-causing microorganisms are only a small fraction of the particles that can cause water to turn cloudy. Therefore, turbidity can only indicate -- not measure -- the true quality of water.
In an accompanying editorial, researchers from Spain note that a more comprehensive public health surveillance strategy is needed to control water quality and reduce the risk of waterborne gastrointestinal disease.
Such a system could include greater surveillance for cases of diarrhea and vomiting, particularly among high-risk groups like the elderly; standardization of laboratory detection; designating particular disorders as reportable to federal bureaus; and investigating and controlling waterborne outbreaks.
SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2000;54:3-5, 45-51.
Contaminants in our Water Supply
As you learn about this harmful additive, you will be shocked to learn that it has turned up in 49 out of 50 states ground water supplies! This only reinforces the mission to have every family in North America drinking, cooking and showering in cleaner, healthier water. Never before has such an explosive and controversial topic ever hit the water industry. Cities have closed down entire water supplies; the government doesn't know how to handle this crisis! The responsibility for your family's health relies solely on you. Don't let the people you care about be exposed to this chemical.
We have researched this subject at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other internet websites.
MTBE - methyl tertiary butyl ether - is a chemical added to gasoline to make it burn cleaner. It is threatening to become a national crisis. But 49 states have now detected MTBE in ground water at some levels. Steve Kroft investigates MTBE in this double-length segment. Graham Messick is the producer. Recap: Sunday, Jan. 16
CBS News Catches
On To The MTBE Disaster
1-18-2000
CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod has new information on a story CBS News' Steve Kroft reported Sunday night on 60 Minutes. The story concerns a gasoline additive called MTBE, and it spells trouble -- for drinking water. How bad is it? It could make you wonder about what's coming out of the tap and how it got there.
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is a mouthful to say. It may also be our greatest unfolding environmental challenge. This chemical, added to gasoline for cleaner air, is now polluting a great deal of the nation's drinking water.
As reported on 60 Minutes, 21 states have had wells shut down due to MTBE groundwater contamination.
"It's been shown, unequivocally, to cause cancer. We want testing for the presence of MTBE where it's found. We want clean-up if it can be cleaned up, and we want damages for people who's properties were damaged," declares Lewis Saul, one of the lawyers now suing big oil on behalf of well owners.
Ten years ago, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, requiring gasoline to burn cleaner. The oil companies chose to blend MTBE into gasoline to meet the new standards.
But that created a problem. This chemical spreads quickly when mixed into groundwater, which happens with leaky underground storage tanks all the time. Almost every state in the nation has found MTBE in their ground water. California alone has 10,000 MTBE-contaminated sites.
New York has identified some 1500 sites, 400 of them on Long Island alone. "This will undoubtedly be proven to be the worst single area with MTBE problems affecting drinking water. The reason is that these people, three million of them, have no alternative source of water," says Walter Hang, an expert in water contamination.
Studies are now underway to determine the human health risk. As for who's responsible, the oil companies say their hands were tied. "There's a law out there that requires reformulated gasoline contain 2% by rate of oxygen," says Bob Campbell, CEO of Sunoco. "And the only practical alternative I have in order to comply with that law, is that we use MTBE."
Until Congress acts to fix the mess, the problem will be addressed state by state, lawsuit by lawsuit.
Contaminants in our Water Supply