Uranium and arsenic are in drinking water — but some communities have it worse than others

The analysis shows how environmental racism is still alive and well in the US. Latino and American Indian residents have been found to have higher levels of arsenic and uranium in their drinking water. More of the toxic metals in public water systems have been linked to larger proportions of Black residents.

The quality of the water that you drink shouldn't be a factor in the makeup of your community. The lead author of the research published in December in the journal Nature Communications is a PhD candidate in environmental health sciences.

The quality of the water that you drink shouldn't be a factor in the makeup of your community.

Many community water systems in the US have low levels of uranium and arsenic, which are regulated by the EPA. Many counties with a larger proportion of Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, and Black residents have been affected by pollution. The pollution concentrations in different counties were analyzed using computer models.

A 10 percent larger proportion of Hispanic or Latino residents was linked to a 17 percent higher concentration of uranium and a 6 percent higher concentration of arsenic. A 10 percent bigger proportion of American Indian and Alaska Native residents was associated with higher levels of arsenic in drinking water. A 10 percent increase in non-Hispanic black residents was associated with a 1 and 6 percent increase in arsenic and uranium levels.

In the US, people of color have often been the victims of policies that have put the environment at risk.

The most recent publicly available data is the basis for the new research. The data was combined with demographic information. They were able to look at arsenic concentrations in 2,585 counties. There are over 3000 counties in the United States.

Two-thirds of the EPA's monitoring records for community water systems in the US have low levels of uranium, according to a study published in April. Arsenic and other metals can be found on an interactive map that you can explore.

Most of the community water systems reported levels below the EPA's limit. Doctors say there is no safe amount for humans to be exposed to low levels of Uranium. The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health is a goal the EPA has. The goal is zero for both elements. Exposure to high levels of uranium has been linked to a number of health problems. Arsenic is a known cancer causing substance.

Toxic metals can enter drinking water in many different ways. weathering rocks can potentially taint the water because of the presence of arsenic and Uranium in Earth's crust. Human activity can be blamed. arsenic was used as a pesticide and left it in the soil and water. There are hundreds of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. There is a link between pollution and a number of diseases in children. The Havasupai Tribe is concerned about the potential to taint their main water source if the newer mine is allowed to go forward.

The EPA launched a national office focused on achieving environmental justice and protecting civil rights. She hopes that the work will serve practical applications and be a call for action.