Chemicals That Can Contaminate Tap Water

Key points

  • Public tap water in the United States is regulated and usually safe to drink.
  • However, sometimes tap water gets contaminated with chemicals that can make you sick.
  • Contact your drinking water utility or health department if you think your tap water is contaminated with harmful chemicals.
Old metal water pipe in the wall connected to a plastic pipe

Overview

Report illnesses‎

If you think you got sick from water, report your illness to your health department. Report it even if you do not know what made you sick. Reporting your illness can help your health department find out what caused you to get sick and prevent more illnesses.

Find information below about the chemicals that most often contaminate tap water and cause disease, and how to remove them. Boiling will not remove chemicals from water.

Arsenic

Common sources

  • Natural deposits in the earth
  • Industrial or farming pollution

Removing arsenic from drinking water

Treat water using:

  • Reverse osmosis
  • Ultrafiltration
  • Distillation
  • Ion exchange

Find water treatment systems certified to remove arsenic.

Symptoms

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
  • Feeling of "pins and needles" in hands and feet
Keep Reading: Arsenic FAQs

Copper

Common sources

  • Copper water pipes
  • Mining, farming, or industrial pollution

Removing copper from drinking water

Treat water using:

  • Reverse osmosis
  • Ultrafiltration
  • Distillation
  • Ion exchange

Find water treatment systems certified to remove copper.

If copper pipes are contaminating your water, another option is to flush faucets that have not been used for 6 or more hours. Flush faucets by running the water for at least 15 seconds before drinking or using it. Avoid cooking with or drinking water from hot water taps because hot water dissolves copper more easily than cold water.

Symptoms

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach pain
Keep Reading: Copper FAQs

Lead

Common sources

  • Lead pipes (most common source)
  • Brass fixtures
  • “Packer” elements in private wells that are 20 years old or older
  • Leaded brass parts in older submersible pumps used in private wells

Removing lead from drinking water

Remove the lead source if possible. If you have a private well, check both the well and the pump for potential lead sources. A licensed well water contractor can help you determine if any of the well's parts are a source of lead.

If you cannot remove the lead source:

Health effects

Lead in drinking water can cause serious health problems, especially for children and people who are pregnant. For example, lead can harm children's brains and increase the risk for miscarriage.

Keep Reading: About Lead in Drinking Water

Nitrate

Common sources

  • Fertilizers
  • Septic systems that are not working correctly
  • Animal feedlots
  • Industrial waste
  • Food processing waste

Removing nitrate from drinking water

Treat water using:

  • Ion exchange
  • Distillation
  • Reverse osmosis

Find treatment systems certified to remove nitrate.

Health effects

High levels of nitrate can decrease the ability of your blood to carry oxygen to your tissues. Infants younger than 6 months may be particularly at risk. Related symptoms can include decreases in blood pressure, increased heart rate, headaches, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

Keep Reading: Nitrate and Nitrite FAQs

PFAS (forever chemicals)

Common sources

  • Industry
  • Consumer products, such as stain-resistant carpets or water-resistant clothing

Removing PFAS from drinking water

Use a filter certified to “NSF/ANSI 53” or NSF/ANSI 58” for PFAS reduction. Check the filter's packaging to make sure it has been certified to reduce PFAS by an independent testing organization, such as NSF or WQA.

See Also: Reducing PFAS in Your Drinking Water with a Home Filter | U.S. EPA

Health effects

Researchers continue to study how PFAS chemicals impact health. Current evidence suggests high levels of these chemicals may lead to:

  • Higher cholesterol levels
  • Changes in liver enzymes
  • Decreased vaccine response in children
  • Higher risk of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant people
  • Small decreases in infant birth weights
  • Higher risk of kidney or testicular cancer
Keep Reading: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Your Health

Radon

Common sources

Radon forms in ground water when naturally occurring uranium, radium, or thorium break down. Showering, washing dishes, and doing laundry can disturb the water and release radon gas into the air you breathe.

Removing radon from drinking water

Treat all your tap water using:

  • Aeration, or
  • Granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment

Use an aeration or GAC treatment device where the water enters your home (point-of-entry device). These devices will treat all your water. Point-of-use devices, such as those installed on a tap or under the sink, will only treat a small portion of your water. Point-of-use devices will not reduce radon in your water.

Aeration treatment sprays or mixes water with air and then vents the air from the water before you use the water.

GAC treatment filters water through granular activated carbon. Radon attaches to the carbon and leaves the water free of radon. Disposing of the used carbon may require special handling if it was used at high radon levels or for a long time.

Health effects

Over time, breathing in high levels of radon can cause lung cancer.

Keep Reading: Radon and Your Health

Resources



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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)