Highest drinking water metal concentrations found in Latino/Hispanic, American Indian communities: study – The Hill

Story at a glance

• Researchers assessed different levels of uranium and arsenic in drinking water across the United States.

• Areas with higher proportions of racial minority populations are linked with higher concentrations of metals in public drinking water.

• Both metals are associated with serious health problems including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Higher concentrations of arsenic and uranium were found in public drinking water in communities with greater proportions of Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Black residents, new research shows. 

Data revealed both metals were higher in drinking water nationwide among Hispanic/Latino and American Indian communities. However, the Midwest and Western portions of the United States had the highest water arsenic and uranium levels overall, and higher proportions of Black residents were linked with increased levels in these regions. 

In addition, higher proportions of white residents were linked with lower arsenic and uranium concentrations. Findings were consistent regardless of socioeconomic status.

“The quality of your drinking water should not be related to the racial/ethnic makeup of your community,” said study author Irene Martinez-Morata, a PhD candidate in environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in a release. 

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“Our findings can advance environmental justice initiatives by informing federal regulatory action and financial and technical support to protect communities of color.”

Using geospatial models, researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health assessed county-level associations of racial/ethnic community composition and public water metal concentrations from 2000 through 2011.

No level of exposure to inorganic arsenic or uranium is safe for humans, although the EPA sets a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 30 micrograms/liter (µg/L) for uranium and 10 µg/L for arsenic, researchers wrote. Both metals have been linked with cancer and cardiovascular disease, while arsenic has also been associated with antibiotic resistance in children. However, both New Jersey and New Hampshire have more protective arsenic MCLs of 5 µg/L. 

The metals are also commonly found in community water systems around the country, though levels can vary based on geographic location and sociodemographic factors. These can include the natural composition of rocks and soil along with contamination from mining and agriculture. 

“All communities, regardless of racial/ethnic makeup, deserve access to clean, high quality drinking water,” added co-author Anne Nigra, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in a statement. 

“Our analysis indicates that this is not currently the case in the US. Even after accounting for socioeconomic status, communities of color have higher arsenic and uranium in their regulated public drinking water.”

Data from 2,585 counties with arsenic contamination and 1,174 counties with uranium contamination were included in the study.

Structural environmental racism likely plays a role in water quality variations, researchers wrote, as water quality depends on a host of factors like built environments (water infrastructure) and sociopolitical differences in regulatory policies.