Tap Water Research Paper

Water is the medium of life. Indeed, an unquestionably crucial substance to survival, it would be an understatement to say water is important. Although seemingly just a clear, tasteless liquid, water has sustained life for over four billion years and continues to do so. As the necessity of drinking water is continually emphasized, water is now more readily available than ever. With direct access from faucets in homes all across the United States, Americans have accessibility to tap water 24/7. But what happens when our tap water contains harmful chemicals that may very well be detrimental to our health? Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates chemicals in tap water, it is still not guaranteed to be 100% safe, as certain …show more content…
Chlorine by-products such as Trihalomethanes (THMs), Haloacetonitriles (HANs) and Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are present in tap water as a result of chlorine merging with “organic material” (Do et al. par. 3). THM and HAA levels in tap water are limited to “80 μg/L THM and 60 μg/L HAA” by the EPA (Kim et al. par.1). However, a chlorine by-product study in conducted by Junsung Kim and his researching team measured tap water 24 hours after the addition of chlorine to tap water in several Massachusetts water systems. Their collected data showed that the level of THMs alone reached 102.6 μg/L, exceeding the maximum level stated by the EPA (Kim et al. par. 1). This fallibility places long-term drinkers of tap water in jeopardy, as the EPA is unable to absolutely ensure that the amount of disinfectant chlorine by-products will not surpass the “safe” level of chlorine allowable. Because chlorine is widely recognized as the most effective water disinfectant, the harmful chemicals that may form are widely unknown among the public (“Basic Information about Disinfectants” par. 1). Consequently, Americans are unaware of the potential dangers of drinking tap water. The effect of the accumulation of these chemicals has often been linked to bladder cancer (Villaneuva et al. par. 1). A 1998-2001 study …show more content…
Corrosion is a chemical process that dissolves metal, resulting in the deterioration of plumbing pipes through which tap water passes. According to the EPA, the presence of lead in tap water is a major cause of brain damage in children and young infants and can have disadvantageous effects in adults, such as high blood pressure (Renner par. 3). In March 2009, Marc Edwards, an “environmental engineer” at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reported that “public health workers” in Greenville, North Carolina discovered that a “1-year-old boy’s blood levels” that were greater than 20 µg/dL were a result of the corrosion of lead in the plumbing pipes of his home (Renner par. 8). When the family had discontinued the use of contaminated tap water, the boy’s lead levels immediately declined (Renner par. 8). This finding shows that the prevalence of lead contamination in tap water highly affects the body when consumed and is easily absorbed. This easy absorption and immediate effect suggests that lead can easily cause problems and abnormalities in our bodily systems before we may recognize the problem. Children have a higher risk of being affected by lead contamination, especially in regards to the brain (Renner 3). Long-term exposure to this certain contamination of lead

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