It’s easy to take water for granted when there are endless supplies at the touch of a button. It runs cool and clear, the perfect drink; at least it is supposed to be. Recently I found out for the past 15 years my hometown’s water has been polluted with toxic chemicals called chromium-6 and perfluorooctanoic acid. The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, states that the the amount of chromium in water should not exceed 100 parts per million. However, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Safety state that as low as .0001 parts per million could cause adverse side effects such as cancer, kidney failure, and reproductive problems. New Jersey allows for .04 ppm while the federal government allows for .4 ppm. As the daughter of a man who died of a rare cancer caused by an unknown toxin, I find this outrageous.
Across the country water has been at dangerous toxin levels that go unchecked. Take Flint, Michigan, for example. Ignored by the government, 33 states, a little over two thirds of Americans, have water that surpasses the suggested parts per million of chemicals for health reasons. While American drinking water goes unchecked, the amount of health problems faced are rising. It is not a new-found piece of information that these man-made chemicals are toxic and cause extreme reactions within the body. The first proposal for lowering the legal limit of the chemicals was in 1978 when California made the connection between rising health problems and the pollutants in the water.
While the government wastes time and does act upon scientists' advice to lower the legal limit of chromium-6 and perfluorooctanoic acid, more people are being exposed to the chemicals for longer periods of time. While the American people worry about what pantsuit Hillary Clinton will wear today, the youth of this country face life-threatening diseases. The longer the American people are apathetic about the health of our youth, the more our hospitals will be filling up.
The question is how long the American people are willing to stand by and allow our government to let this go on. The government’s refrain from changing federal or state limits shows a lack of care for its citizens. However, even the citizens do not care to raise their voices against a government that prefers the approval of business than the health of its people. The apathy towards health goes even farther than our water. The American people are exposed to more chemicals through air and food now than ever before. While the effects on health are known, only a select few groups speak up. Unless there is a movement demanding change very soon the future holds unknown health effects on children and the overall population.
