About 51,000 people in 34 communities in Texas have been exposed to drinking water systems contaminated with arsenic.
Records show that this setup has been going on for at least 10 years, and the majority of cases involve arsenic levels that are several levels higher than the set limit.
Since 2006, the federal Safe Drinking Water Act necessitated public water supplies to ensure that arsenic levels are no more than 10 parts per billion. Such order was issued to decrease exposure to the fatal toxin that is associated with neurological disorders, lung and bladder cancers and other medical conditions
Not Informing The Public
The federal law orders local water companies to tell consumers if it finds violations and to tell the public that lifetime exposure to arsenic of more than 10 parts per billion may up the risk of cancer. However, in Texas, the state also necessitates advisories to include that the reminder is not an emergency and that there is no need to use alternate water supply.
Despite the alarming threats to the public, Texas has not informed the people to stop drinking water, the report says. Instead, the state implies that the water is safe.
"Telling consumers they don't need to replace water contaminated by arsenic implies the water is still safe to drink," says Environmental Integrity Project Texas branch Director Ilan Levin. He adds that it is unlikely for these state leaders to let their families drink the water that violates the Safe Drinking Water Act year after year.
The key, then, is for authorities to keep an open line of communication to the public.
"Informing consumers is an important strategy to protect public health," says the report (PDF).
The Flint, Michigan water crisis is one example of how vital it is to talk with residents who are drinking contaminated water, says EIP executive director Eric Schaeffer.
EIP Recommendations
EIP then came up with a list of recommendations to mitigate the problem.
The first one is for the state to stop implying that water that fails the Safe Drinking Water Act is safe to consume.
The second advice is to call on the Environmental Protection Agency to revise its protocols of necessitating states to advise people to stop drinking and using water that fails to meet arsenic limits for years.
The third recommendation is to educate the public about water treatment options that work, as well as those that do not work.
Lastly, the federal and state governments should provide sufficient funds to the affected Texas communities to pay for filtration system and perform other programs that can counter the contamination problems.
