Part 1: The Scary Truth

• EPA regulations = weak and the inadequate
  • Only apply to small number of chemicals that are produced in industrial processes
  • Many of these are only regulated by max contaminant level (MCLs) that are not enforceable, or else suggested treatment techniques (TTs)
  • Often dependent on slow process of science to come up with definitive measures
  • Loopholes protecting fracking industry, other industries that contaminated groundwater
• Top six toxins of toxins
  • Chromium-6
  • Chloramines: water tx facilities switching from chlorine to this, which is cheaper and can cause leaching of lead pipes. AKA secondary disinfection
  • Lead
  • Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs): from manufacturing of Teflon, fabric protectants, firefighting foams, etc.
  • Fracking chemicals: produces tons of toxic chemicals but exempt from all hazardous waste laws...
  • TCE: industrial solvent, used with refrigerants, drycleaning
• Corporations seed scientific doubt by suppressing legitimate research and fabricating their own to avoid conclusions on safety
  • Can then avoid regulations and responsibility
• Difficult to build national database of disease and environmental contamination bc HIPPA → community-organized Community Healthbook
  • Can identify clusters, map patterns among reports
• Problem both with contamination of water and treatment
  • On contamination side: “innocent until proven guilty” approach → thousands of potentially hazardous chemicals enter water stream, and very difficult to produce studies that show exactly how dangerous they are (esp bc we are exposed to low quantities for long period of time, not one large dose)
    • Also, you can’t detect or monitor a chemical you’re not testing for...
  • On treatment side: protocols vary widely between facilities, standards for “safe drinking water” are basically meaningless
    • How your water is classified (ground vs surface) affects regulations it is under, but may lead to loopholes

Part 2: A Hopeful Future

• Ohio req that water companies prove they cannot meet EPA regulations without chloramines before using them
• You can’t assume elected officials know what they’re doing! Get involved in local politics, do your research, attend meetings, ask questions... run for office!
• Politicians siding with fracking interests over public heslth
  • Fracking → man-made earthquakes
  • Fracking fluids and produced water (ancient seawater brought to the surface) must be properly handled or else contaminate waterways, soil
• Many highly contaminated sites near military bases (incl near Dayton)
• Power and water are closely linked
  • Power plants → high water demand, largest contributors of toxic pollution to US waters

Part 3: The Final Call

• Water supply to cities rapidly falling with climate crisis — Cape Town approaching “Day Zero”
• Groundwater, aquifers not carefully regulated → polluted, starting to run dry
• Relevant top twelve actions for individuals to lower carbon emissions: live car-free, wash clothes in cold water, hang dry clothes