EPA: Uranium contamination widespread in U.S. drinking water
- EPA Announces First-Ever Regulation for “Forever Chemicals” in Drinking Water
- Kochi University pioneers outpatient bladder cancer treatment using semiconductor lasers
- ASPEN 2024: Nutritional Therapy Strategies for Cancer and Critically Ill Patients
- Which lung cancer patients can benefit from neoadjuvant immunotherapy?
- Heme Iron Absorption: Why Meat Matters for Women’s Iron Needs
- “Miracle Weight-loss Drug” Semaglutide Is Not Always Effective
EPA: Uranium contamination widespread in U.S. drinking water
- Red Yeast Rice Scare Grips Japan: Over 114 Hospitalized and 5 Deaths
- Long COVID Brain Fog: Blood-Brain Barrier Damage and Persistent Inflammation
- FDA has mandated a top-level black box warning for all marketed CAR-T therapies
- Can people with high blood pressure eat peanuts?
- What is the difference between dopamine and dobutamine?
- How long can the patient live after heart stent surgery?
EPA: Uranium contamination widespread in U.S. drinking water.
A new study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found unsafe levels of uranium in the country’s drinking water, BGR reported.
The researchers published their findings in The Lancet Planetary Health .
They found the radioactive element in some drinking water supplies in the United States, especially around Spanish-speaking communities.
The EPA said it was unclear how much of a threat higher concentrations of uranium posed to water supplies. However, it does want to completely remove this radioactive metal compound from the U.S. drinking water supply. That’s because it has become one of the least-appreciated pollutants in public drinking water supplies.
The EPA sets a maximum contaminant level for the total amount of uranium in water. The researchers found that between 2000 and 2011, two-thirds of the samples had uranium concentrations that were 2.1 percent higher than the average “allowed” by the EPA.
Gizmodo noted that previous research has shown that almost 4 percent of private wells in the U.S. have uranium levels above allowable levels. Still, the new findings are the first to show pollution across the United States.
The U.S. public drinking water system supplies more than 90 percent of the nation’s water. So seeing radioactive elements like uranium reaching high contamination levels is worrying.
One of the main reasons uranium in water is such a concern is that it may be partly responsible for the higher rates of chronic disease in affected areas.
The researchers found higher concentrations around poorer neighborhoods. In addition to this, researchers have seen higher rates of chronic disease and generally poorer health outcomes in these specific regions.
The hope, the authors say, is that the new study will put pressure on policymakers.
That pressure may help prompt them to make more substantial reforms to protect drinking water from elements such as uranium.
The EPA has some regulations in place, but people need better ways to enforce them.
The researchers created a map of the concentrated areas, which you can see on Columbia University’s website.
EPA: Uranium contamination widespread in U.S. drinking water
(source:internet, reference only)
Disclaimer of medicaltrend.org
Important Note: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.
