A new study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health has found that public drinking water with higher concentrations of arsenic and uranium is more likely to be found in communities with high proportions of Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and non-Hispanic Black residents.
The study found that arsenic and uranium were more prevalent in drinking water for Hispanic/Latino and American Indian communities nationwide while non-Hispanic Black communities in the West and Midwest were more likely to have drinking water with higher levels of these contaminants. Previous studies evaluating these associations were not possible due to a lack of nationwide data on contaminant concentrations in public water systems. The analysis was presented in the journal Nature Communications.
Water Exposure to Metal Concentrations
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), drinking water is a significant source of exposure to arsenic and uranium in many communities in the United States. These contaminants are associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other negative health outcomes. The EPA has set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 30 micrograms per liter (µg/L) for uranium and 10 µg/L for arsenic.
However, the EPA's non-enforceable maximum contaminant level goal for both contaminants is 0 µg/L, as there is no known safe level of exposure to either arsenic or uranium. The findings of the study are important for public health because there is no known safe level of exposure to inorganic arsenic and uranium, according to Irene Martinez-Morata, a doctoral candidate in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the first author of the study.
These findings suggest that inequalities in public water contaminant exposures are more severe in regions with higher proportions of residents from communities of color who rely on public drinking water and where the source water contains higher concentrations of specific contaminants.
In a study on metal concentrations in U.S. community water systems (CWS) and patterns of inequalities, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that metal concentrations were particularly elevated in CWSs serving semi-urban, Hispanic
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Possible Water Contamination due to Racial Discrimination
Anne Nigra, a professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said that all communities, regardless of their racial or ethnic makeup, should have access to clean and high-quality drinking water. However, the study's findings indicate that this is not currently the case in the United States. Even though accounting for one socioeconomic class, neighborhoods of color have increased levels of arsenic and uranium in their regulated general drinking water.
To conduct the study, the researchers used county-level, population-weighted concentration estimates of arsenic and uranium concentrations in public water systems across the United States. These estimates were based on the most recent publicly available nationwide monitoring data gathered by the EPA. Water metal engagements were unrestricted for 2,585 counties for arsenic as well as 1,174 counties for uranium.
The researchers conducted parallel analyses for each of the following racial and ethnic groups: non-Hispanic Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, and non-Hispanic White. Martinez-Morata said that the quality of a community's drinking water should not be related to its racial or ethnic makeup. She added that the study's findings can help advance environmental justice initiatives by informing federal regulatory action and providing financial and technical support to protect communities of color.
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