Do you know what’s in your drinking water? Probably not. Toxic substances are constantly found in contaminated drinking water around the world, and it’s not just developing countries, but also developed countries like Canada and the United States.
According to the Chicago Tribune, an analysis uncovered toxic lead in the tap water drawn from more than 70 percent of the homes across Chicago. Substances like aluminum, mercury, other heavy metals, prescription drugs, and more have been found in other public drinking water supplies.
This has been a major problem for a while, which is why The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a new “Tap Water Database“ that allows people to enter their ZIP code or their local utility’s name, in order to find out what’s in their tap water.
According to Live Science:
“The database contains results from testing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on drinking water from 2010 to 2015, which includes tests on water from nearly 50,000 water utilities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. In addition, the EWG incorporated results from water tests done by state agencies.”
So, what did they find? They found that, in total, approximately 270 contaminants were identified in drinking water across the country, which also included lead and arsenic.
You can access the ZIP CODE based database HERE.
The article published by live science goes on to emphasize how the levels of contaminants that government regulations allow for are actually higher than what current research suggests is safe. This is a common theme, and the corporate relationship with government might have something to do with it. It’s not just our drinking water that we see a lack of appropriate safety regulations, it’s with many of our products, services, medications and more.
Furthermore:
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“For other contaminants, there are no specific federal standards, the EWG says. In the case of chromium-6, which is a form of the element chromium, for example, the government looks only at overall chromium levels, and not all types are harmful. Chromium-6 has been linked to tumors in animal studies, and may also be linked to increased risk of stomach cancer in workers exposed to the compound, the EWG says. Chromium – 3, on the other hand, is “mostly harmless.”
This is why in some areas we see chlorine and other disinfectants added into the water supply, which raises even more health concerns and doesn’t really provide an ample solution to the problem.
Below is a great statement from the Waterkeeper Alliance:
“Every day around the world, polluters are poisoning our waterways, and people everywhere are suffering the consequences. When a coal company discharges millions of gallons of toxic coal ash into a river, families who depend on that waterway as a drinking-water source are the innocent victims. When a developer demolishes a forest of mangroves, it destroys fisheries and devastates the local economy. When hog farms dump untreated waste into a waterway, people and marine life get sick. These are just a few examples of the battles that Waterkeeper Alliance fights every day around the world on behalf of the common good and to protect everyone’s right to clean water.”
When we ponder what the solutions to the problems are, at the deepest levels, the solution is us; me, you and everyone you know. If we want to change the planet, we have to change ourselves. Everybody seems to want change, yet nobody is willing to take a look in the mirror and make that change. Secondly, it’s organizations like the Waterkeeper Alliance that help to bring awareness to these issues.
Whether tracking down polluters in action on the water, in courtrooms helping to enforce environmental laws, or advocating in town meetings or teaching in the classrooms, this is how they do it.
The water pollution problem of all Earth’s waterways is one of the biggest issues our world faces today. I believe Earth is a conscious being and she’s been extremely patient with us. We don’t have to be here, we are not needed and we’ve become a threat to our own planet when we could, with ease, have a human experience that sees everybody, including all life on the planet, thrive.
The corporate take-over of our governments, and those who enforce ‘the rules’ here don’t really represent the people, or a group that looks to preserve and take care of our planet. If that was so, it would’ve been done a long time ago.
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Instead, we let our ‘leaders’ gather every single year to talk about solutions, but that’s all they seem to do. There is no real regard for humanity, but instead, geo-political agendas take the forefront.
We’ve had solutions to our pollution problems for decades, yet Red Tape continues to get in the way.
On a more positive note, the amount that the global population is speaking up and creating initiatives to combat these problems is larger than it’s ever been. At least there are huge efforts underway, and I do believe we are living in a time of great change. Part of this time is to help restore and protect the planet, and that’s a priority for many.
Industry, geo-politics and globalization has lead to what we have here today. I’d like to leave you with a quote that I’ve used many times before, so if you’ve already seen it, I apologize.
“Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people. From these great staffs, both of the old parties have ganged aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare they have become the tools of corrupt interests which use them in martialling [sic] to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Oh, and obviously, don’t forget to get yourself a good water filter!
Reprinted with permission from Collective Evolution.
