Is your drinking water clean? New search tool hopes to tighten water regulations

Is your drinking water clean?
New search tool hopes to tighten water regulations.
Residents concerned about the quality of their drinking water have access to new information online.
Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that focuses on public health, recently published the search tool, which is compiled from state and federal data.
The new data provides information on contaminants ranging from lead and chromium-6 to cancer-causing chemicals that are byproducts of disinfecting water.
“Part of the value in this is that you can look up your own utility," David Andrews, EWG senior scientist, said.
EWG’s standards for how much of a chemical is acceptable in water are stricter than those set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrews said.
Andrews said there’s "growing awareness" of the connection between chemical exposures and cancer.
The group hopes to push government agencies to set stricter standards.
EWG also recommends certain types of water filters as a stop-gap measure, said Andrews.

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