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4 Million Americans Could Be Drinking Toxic Water and Would Never Know

In a shocking investigation on the nation’s drinking water, USA Today reports that millions of Americans may be drinking toxic water without knowing it — even though high-ranking officials, including those responsible for making sure municipal waters arrive safely at your faucet — are fully aware of the problem.

Every year, red flags over toxic drinking water are raised across the U.S., with reasons for the toxicity varying from location to location. Unfortunately, most tap water is far from pure, containing a vast array of disinfection byproducts, fluoride, radiation, heavy metals, agricultural runoff, pharmaceutical drugs and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used in the production of flame retardants.

And that's the short list. What's worse, more than half of the 300-plus chemicals detected in U.S. drinking water are not even regulated. The poisoning of Flint, Michigan, brought much-needed attention to the lead-tainted-water problem in the U.S., while also exposing the political inertia and outright lies that allow these things to happen. It also highlights the fact that, because those in charge don’t seem motivated to do it on their own, it’s up to you to protect your own health and take precautions that your water is clean and safe.

One way to do this is to filter all the water coming into your home. One of the best purifiers I’ve found so far is the Pure & Clear Whole House Water Filtration System, which uses a three-stage filtration process — a micron sediment pre-filter, a KDF water filter and a high-grade carbon water filter — to filter out chlorine, DBPs and other contaminants.