A new study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) says drinking water in many Massachusetts communities contains a range of chemicals that, while meeting federal safety standards, could still lead to health concerns.
Sydney Evans, an analyst with the EWG, said that levels of many of the chemicals listed in the report frequently fall well within federal limits or that no regulated limits exist for other chemicals. But, she said, that’s the problem.
“Legal does not necessarily equal safe,” Evans said. “The latest research shows that many of the existing legal limits or maximum contaminant levels allow contaminant levels that can be harmful for children, for pregnant women and for other vulnerable populations, as well as the population at large.”
The report, which was released Wednesday, says the state’s largest provider of water, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), is in compliance with federal drinking water standards. But, it found that six contaminants — including choloroform and dichloroacetic acid — in MWRA water exceeded EWG’s own health guidelines.
Officials with the MWRA released a statement reiterating that they meet all federal EPA and state DEP drinking water standards and that "in the vast majority of cases cannot even detect the contaminants. And when they are detected, MWRA is typically well below the standards."
"Our goal is to be as close to zero as reasonably possible," the statement continued. "Our customers should continue to have confidence in the water we provide."
The EWG report recommends water filters to reduce exposure. But Evans said that shouldn’t be the answer to contamination.
“The burden shouldn't be on the individual to filter out these contaminants,” she said. “What we really need to see is review of these legal limits in light of the latest health-based science and then ultimately … if we can keep these contaminants out of source water, then there's less burden on the community water system and on the individuals on down the line to remove these contaminants.”
The report lists Bellingham's water system as having had the most EPA water quality violations in the state in the last several years. The town's director of public works, Don DiMartino, said the town is now “in compliance with all requirements of the Massachusetts Drinking Water Regulations.”
“We did have a disinfection byproduct rule violation in the recent past and have returned to compliance,” DiMartino said in an email to WGBH News. He explained that because the regulations measure violations based on an annual average, it took some time before it became clear that the town was once again in compliance.
“During that time, and whenever we have any water quality questions, we immediately contact and work closely with the Mass Department of Environmental Protection staff at the Central Regional Office,” he said. “They assist us in proper notification to the public and guide our efforts to return to compliance per Mass Drinking Water Regulations.”
