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If you have thought of installing a water purifier, a new study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) may well be the final push you need. While water filter pitcies like Brita are useful for eliminating chlorine, lead and other impurities of tap water , they do not reduce the levels of chemicals to toxic water, such as nitrate and arsenic. But EWG researchers may have found a solution-one that could considerably reduce cancer in the United States

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The elimination of toxic chemicals from drinking water could protect more than 50,000 Americans from cancer.

A new study evaluated by peers by the FEC revealed that better regulation of tap water contaminants in the United States could prevent more than 50,000 cases of cancer. The report was published in the journal Environmental research .

According to current federal directives, tap water regulations are limited to a contaminant at the same time - common, nitrate. However, simultaneously treating two contaminants, the United States could see a huge reduction in cancer cases.

Their "multi-contaminating approach" targets two chemicals cancer cancer in more than 17,000 community water systems. These are arsenic and hexavalent chrome (Chrome-6).

After analyzing more than a decade of data, researchers discovered that arsenic and chrome-6 often coincide in drinking water systems. Thus, a double -emission elimination process could be both time and backup.

"If the water systems with the contamination of the chrome-6 also reduce arsenic levels to a range of 27% to 42%, this could avoid up to quadruple the number of cancer cases compared to the simple drop in chromium-6 levels", press release explain.

"Drinking water is contaminated mainly in mixtures, but our regulatory system always acts as if they appear one at a time," commented the main study author Tasha Stoiber , PHD, a main scientist at EWG. "This research shows that the treatment of several contaminants could prevent tens of thousands of cancer cases."

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Cancers and other health risks are associated with water contaminants.

Nitrate has long been considered one of the most common and dangerous water contaminants. But a new EWG report also highlights the concentrations of arsenic and chrome-6 in American tap water. The three were linked to different types of cancer.

Arsenic

The arsenic is in drinking water in the 50 states; However, contamination levels are the highest in Arizona, Texas and California. According to the press release, almost eight out of 10 preventable cancers in California are associated with an exhibition at Arsenic.

Arsenic is a natural mineral which "the leapsivary of rocks in groundwater which could be used to drink or irrigation", " Explain the EWG . In farms, it can infiltrate rice plants, fruits and vegetables via soil and water. Mining, metal production, coal power plants and fossil fuel combustion also contribute to pollution of arsenic.

Studies show that arsenic pollution Can cause cancers of the skin, lung, bladder, kidneys and liver. The researchers also identified correlations between chronic exposure in arsenic and dermatological, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, endocrine and development problems.

According to the current directives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which were created in 2001, the legal limit of arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (PPB), according to the EWG. However, a 2023 report According to the integrated program of the information system on EPA risks, concluded that arsenic is "30 times more toxic than before".

Chrome-6

More than 260 million Americans have chrome-6 in their drinking water. The chemical cancer cancer is known to harm the liver and the reproductive system.

Chrome-6 can be found in textile dyes, paintings and inks. The chemical is also used during industrial and manufacturing processes, such as anti-corrosion metal coating and preservation of wood.

"It has been detected in groundwater due to pollution of these industries and natural gas compression stations which use it as an anti-corrosion agent in cooling water," said the EWG .

THE EWG tap water database shows that 7,583 water services across the United States have traces of Chrome-6. This is a national problem affecting the 50 states, California, Texas, New York and Florida with the highest concentrations.

Nitrate

Of the three chemicals, nitrate is the most common contaminant. Drinking water in the United States can have high levels of nitrate "due to pollution upstream of farms, runoff or the deliberate liberation of municipal wastewater in the sailors," explains the EWG . "Excessive" nitrate rates are also common in private wells.

According to a EWG study evaluated by peers , nitrate is linked to colorectal, ovaries, thyroid, renal and bladder cancer. It is estimated that drinking water polluted by nitrates causes up to 12,594 cases of cancer per year in the United States, moreover, low birth weight and premature birth have also been associated with drinking water incidents polluted by nitrates.

In recent history, Delaware, Arizona, California and Iowa were known to have some of the highest concentrations of nitrate in their drinking water. It is also a growing concern in the Midwest, a huge place for agriculture.

"The federal limit of nitrate was set decades ago to prevent infant deaths, but we now see complications of cancer and birth at nitrate levels below this exceeded standard", " Anne Schechinger Said EWG Midwest director in the statement.

"Even slightly reducing nitrate could prevent hundreds of cancer cases and saving tens of millions of dollars in health care costs, especially when associated with treatment for other contaminants, such as Chrome-6 and Arsenic," she continued. "There is a real cost for inaction - our health and our wallets cannot afford to wait for better treatment."

Environmental experts say that a 20% reduction in nitrate levels could prevent 130 cases of American cancer per year.

"This is more than clean water - it is a question of protecting the health and advancement of equity," said David Andrews , PHD, Director of Acting Sciences at EWG. "We have engineering solutions to repair the broken drinking water system in the United States, but we need state and federal policies to reflect the reality that people face when they activate the tap."