How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water?

“19.5 million Americans fall ill each year from drinking water contaminated with parasites, bacteria or viruses and this number does not include illnesses caused by other chemicals and toxins” , declared the scientific journal Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, that an estimated.


The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants from the Environmental Protection Agency. These hundreds of thousands of water pollution records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act regarding violation of Safe Drinking Water Act and publishes a series of editorials and investigations on a blog called “Toxic Water; a series about worsening pollution in America’s water and the regulator respond".


- Find Water Polluters Near You
http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/polluters
- What’s in Your Water
http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/contaminants
- Clean Water Act Violations, check enforcement record
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/13/us/0913-water.html


An example of water pollution and environmental injustice:

In a remote corner of Appalachia in West Virginia, 10 years ago, a terrible smells began coming from local taps, and water was sometimes gray, cloudy and oily. Bathtubs and washers developed "rust-colored rings that scrubbing could not remove and industrial water filters turned black". Tests showed that their water contained toxic amounts of lead, manganese, barium and other metals which can contribute to organ failure or developmental problems.

At the same time, closed coal companies started pumping industrial waste into the ground, to wash their coal to remove impurities. A black fluid containing dissolved minerals and chemicals was disposed in vast lagoons into dumped mines, then the liquid flows into water supplies. Coal companies have injected more than 1.9 billion gallons of coal slurry and sludge into the ground since 2004 and millions more gallons have been dumped into lagoons. This pose serious health risks in violation of state regulations and the Safe Drinking Water Act and are illegal concentrations of chemicals including arsenic, lead, chromium, beryllium or nickel. Nationwide, polluters have violated the Clean Water Act more than 500,000 times.


These chemicals contribute to cancer, organ failures and other diseases; nevertheless, these companies were never fined or punished for those illegal injections, according to state records. They were never even warned that their activities had been noticed. Worsening symptoms, like gall bladder diseases, fertility problems, miscarriages and kidney and thyroid issues became common. The community sued in county court, seeking compensation. That suit is pending. Until now the community gets regular “deliveries of clean drinking water, stored in coolers or large blue barrels outside most homes”. The construction of a pipeline bringing fresh water to the community is on the way, however, most residents still use polluted water to bathe, shower and wash dishes.


“How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water?” said Madam Massey, her son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest due to bathwater and many of “his brother’s teeth were capped to replace enamel that was eaten away”.


Reference:
Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering. (2009, September 12). New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html?pagewanted=4