Contaminated water

according to a study by the Environmental Working Group in the us, drinking water of about 4.3 million Americans during the last year had concentrations of pesticides exceeding the new federal standards. The study revealed that the people in the rural areas, particularly the midwestern corn belt, were being served a cocktail of chemicals in their tap water. The worst example was in Williamsburg, Ohio, where 10 weedkillers and other chemicals were found in a glassful.

Water supplies in almost every major midwestern community is treated, and suppliers are testing water more frequently and informing customers when there is a problem. Water quality may improve as the Congress has passed a law that bans the use of pesticides on food crops if there are risks that levels of it that leak into drinking water may exceed safety standards.