Doesn the EPA do a good enough job setting standards to make my water safe?
No easy answer. Most EPA standards are based on contaminant levels considered safe for a 154 lb. adult male. Those compounds known to affect children radically different than adults, such as nitrates and lead, have different, usually more restrictive, standards. Either way, some question whether EPA levels are safe for them. Also, by law, when determining a standard level, the EPA must take into account the cost of achieving that level. Some standards therefore are more relaxed than some feel comfortable with, because the cost to municipalities to lower the contaminant level is judged to be too high to be worth it. For example, all carcinogens are automatically given a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) goal of zero, even though everyone knows that is unattainable, so the actual MCLs are a compromise. The EPA has identified more than 700 toxic substances in random drinking water sampling, yet water suppliers are required to test only for the handful of contaminants listed by the EPA. The
