Water contamination has been known to cause severe diseases such as diarrhea, amoebiasis, and more. If worse comes to worst, these contaminants can cause epidemics in communities which can lead to multiple deaths. It is now essential to know what regulations and policies are in the works for the protection of citizens all over America.
According to a report from the Charlotte Observer, a new bill is in the works which aims to identify the health risks and effects of contaminants found in drinking water. Based on the findings of the bill's authors there are a few unregulated materials that are being detected in drinking water and they want to find out its adverse effects on public health.
There are government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose main goal is to identify what new found contaminants are not within the existing policies and programs. Then, it will be forwarded to health institutions to identify health effects if there is a large consumption of these kinds of contaminants.
Based on a report from EPA, among some of the contaminants that are being watched out for in this bill are the unregulated chemicals that are released or disposed of in water. These may include pesticides, toxins, and drugs. The senators that are currently working on the bill pointed out that they have found significant amounts of cyanotoxins in the drinking water within their region.
The new bill will be an additional support to the already existing Safe Drinking Water Act. One of its goals is to provide financial support not only to agencies focusing on the safety of drinking water but to also provide opportunities for communities to maintain and test their own sources of drinking water. If anything, this bill aims to develop a relationship between government agencies and local communities to work together towards the goal of regulating contaminants in drinking water.
