Following Study on Millions Facing Dirty Water, Treatment Urged

Following a comprehensive New York Times report revealing that 20% of Americans face water in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Water Quality Assn. (WQA) urges consumers to explore installing final contaminant barriers in their homes.

The report follows in the wake of Associated Press studies last year showing that up to one in six Americans might be ingesting some level of pharmaceuticals in their drinking water.

"Filtering systems in the home provide the highest technology available to treat drinking water," said Peter J. Censky, executive director of WQA.

Less than 2% of all water consumed is ingested by humans, making these "point-of-use" systems the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly available, according to WQA.

While utilities are required to meet safety standards set by the EPA, the New York Times has reported that there have been more than half a million violations of the Clean Water Act since 2004. Fewer than 6% of the water systems that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials.

"Home filtering systems act as a final contaminant barrier and can further purify water for drinking," Censky said.

WQA provides Gold Seal certification for products that remove a variety of contaminants. These products are tested according to independently developed standards of the ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

Source: Water Quality Assn.