The EPA Has Found More Than a Dozen Contaminants in Drinking Water but Hasn’t Set Safety Limits on Them

https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-safe-drinking-water-act-contaminants-regulation

202 points · 17 comments · view on lemmy.world

17 Comments

The biggest issue with the EPA setting limits is finding labs that can measure to those levels with any sort of accuracy or precision. In the article they mention California's limits are 5 parts per trillion. That's 10^-12 or 0.000000000005. It's really hard to find equipment that can measure that low with out some dilution factors. This makes it hard to set standards. If you can't measure it, you can't regulate it.

someguy3@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 2y (14 replies)

I think I'm going to get a reverse osmosis system.

PeleSpirit@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2y (13 replies)

[ removed ]

guyrocket@kbin.social · 5 pts · 2y (4 replies)

I am also thinking about better filtration. PFOS is an issue here and I really don't want to keep ingesting it.

Any concerns about removing the fluoride? Is that an issue for people who brush daily?

PeleSpirit@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

[ removed ]

someguy3@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Studies show that cities with unfluoridated water have more cavities. I'd look if a fluoride rinse exists.

guyrocket@kbin.social · 1 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I do understand why they do it. My ? is if I brush daily with a sonicare does it matter. My teeth are a lot better cared for that the general population's teeth.

someguy3@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 2y

I mean people in the studies brush their teeth once or twice a day and still have more cavities.

jeffw@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y (4 replies)

Idk, my mom has one and I feel like our water tastes the same? What do you notice about it?

Edit: not saying it isn’t good to get one, just saying that if I didn’t know it, I wouldn’t notice a difference

PeleSpirit@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y (3 replies)

[ removed ]

atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Sounds like when I was a kid and I could run faster when I got new sneakers.

alekwithak@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Care to share what you had installed?

PeleSpirit@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

[ removed ]

someguy3@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 2y

A difference in water taste or a difference in health?

Indymelt@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 2y

Purrito@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

Any suggestions on a brand you like?

xkforce@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y

This is a PDF detailing the EPA's exposure limits for 1,2,3 trichloropropane: https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-03/documents/ffrrofactsheet_contaminant_tcp_january2014_final.pdf

sleepy555@lemmy.world · -17 pts · 2y (3 replies)

I'm about ready to get rid of all of these useless federal agencies. They're all being politicized and made useless. Get rid of appointments, do elections or something. The FDA waited like 4mo to investigate some factories after getting reports that their baby formula was killing babies. They ended up finding massively unsanitary conditions and shut them down. 4 months.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/05/25/watch-live-house-grills-fda-commissioner-abbott-executive-on-baby-formula-shortage.html

I hate them with a passion. They're inept and corrupt. The tobacco wing is in the pockets of big tobacco. The drug side of things is massively corrupt. They suck at their job, lie to us constantly, and we still pay them for it.

I don't hate the EPA, but man I'm so sick of seeing massive failures from our government.

someguy3@lemmy.ca · 24 pts · 2y (1 reply)

The Republican playbook has worked.

jeffw@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 2y

“The GOP is hurting our government, so let’s just get rid of everything they’re trying to poison!!”

And ig some people actually believe that lol

PP_BOY_@lemmy.world · -5 pts · 2y

Noooo don't you know that's literally how Hitler came to power?