A new report from the Environmental Working Group identifies high levels of more than 100 contaminants like disinfectant byproducts, nitrates and forever chemicals called PFAS in Ohio’s drinking water.
The Environmental Working Group advocates for chemical safety legislation nationwide. The Tapped Out report, last released in 2021, collected data from 1,145 public water systems in Ohio.
"Utilities are required to test and to treat to certain limits. And that's all they're required to do," said Sydney
Evans, Senior Science Analyst with Environmental Working Group. "They report on all of their metrics based around these legal limits, which we know are not necessarily fully health protective."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets maximum levels for some contaminants in drinking water, but many others aren’t regulated.
Even legal levels don’t often consider associated health effects, Evans said, like reduced vaccine effectiveness, reproductive issues and cancer.
"There is this huge gap between what is legal and what is safe because of the time it takes and the effort that it takes to review these contaminants, to get the latest science and then to find a limit for a legal limit that takes into account the health effects."
The Environmental Working Group establishes health guidelines that outline safe levels for contaminants in drinking water based on the health effects established through research and metrics defined by health agencies like the EPA, Evans said.
"[Health guidelines are] so much lower because they're only taking into account the health impacts. Whereas the legal limits will be using probably outdated science at this point," Evans said. "It's been a while since these limits were set, but they're also considering the costs and the feasibility of technology, probably years to decades in the past, which is why you start seeing these big gaps."
The EPA made progress by establishing regulations for six PFAS in drinking water in April, Evans said, but more federal action is needed to ensure safe drinking water.
"We know with the new administration, there are a lot of attempts to weaken these federal protections for drinking water," Evans said. "We need to make our position clear that, no, we don't think that enough is being done. There are risks to the protections that are there because of the new administration."
Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. EPA withdrew pending legislation that would establish discharge limits for PFAS manufacturers, reducing the amount of forever chemicals that enter the environment.
How to reduce contamination
The best form of protection is federal regulation that prevents contaminants from getting into drinking water to begin with, Evans said. But for those looking for at-home prevention, the Environmental Working Group recommends water filtration systems.
"Not all filter technologies can filter for all contaminants, so it's really important to know what's in your water and what you're trying to reduce or remove."Environmental Working Group Senior Science Analyst Sydney Evans
"We don't think people should have to do that," Evans said. "We don't think that's the solution, but it is an option for some people."
Home filtration systems will be costly, but are more likely to filter out a number of the contaminants identified in the report, Evans said. Some counter top filters, can serve as a budget-friendly option too.
"Whether that's a countertop pitcher filter or something installed at the sink or a whole house filter," Evans said, "there's plenty of options out there with a lot of scientific backing saying that they are effective."
