THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 4, 1995 TAG: 9506040061
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
More than 53 million Americans are drinking tap water contaminated by lead, fecal bacteria, toxic chemicals and other pollutants, according to separate reports released by two major environmental organizations.
Drawing from data compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency and local water utilities, the reports included estimates that the consumption of contaminated water causes 1,200 deaths and more than 7 million cases of mild to moderate illness a year.
Those figures are far higher than earlier estimates of effects of waterborne diseases on the general population.
One of the studies, prepared by the Natural Resources Defense Council, said water systems serving one out of every five Americans were discovered to contain cryptosporidium, the microbial contaminant that resulted in 104 deaths and more than 400,000 illnesses during a March 1993 outbreak in Milwaukee. Federal statutes do not require municipal water authorities to clean cryptosporidium from water reservoirs. Cryptosporidium can cause diarrhea in healthy people and severe illness in those with weakened immune systems.
``We are not saying that people should panic or that everybody is getting sick,'' said Erik Olson, an NRDC water specialist and author of one of the studies. ``But our findings show that there are clearly some serious health risks posed by tap water and that some people - particularly those whose immune systems are compromised - should probably take some steps to protect themselves.''
The reports, released by NRDC and the Environmental Working Group, come as Congress is debating changes that would allow industry and local governments more flexibility in complying with the Clean Water Act.
KEYWORDS: WATER POLLUTION by CNB