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Article: Water, Water, Everywhere ...(safety of drinking water)
- Article from:
- Nutrition Action Healthletter
- Article date:
- June 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Center for Science in the Public Interest. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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[H.sub.2] and O. If you think that's all your water contains, think again.
A lot can happen on the way to the tap or bottle. Water can pickup healthy minerals like magnesium and calcium as it travels through rock formations. It can become laced with pesticides that are washed into rivers and streams. The chlorine that's used to disinfect it can react with decaying leaves to form toxic byproducts. And even the purest water can become contaminated with lead from the pipes in your home.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires water utilities to keep the levels of 80 potential contaminants below legal limits. But even when water meets all ...