The federal Safe Drinking Water Act has required public water supplies to limit arsenic concentrations in drinking water to no more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) since 2006, in order to reduce exposure to the deadly toxin linked to lung and bladder cancers, neurological problems, and other illnesses. But the average arsenic concentrations in 65 Texas community water systems serving more than 82,000 people has exceeded that health-based standard over the last two years, according to data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). About 51,000 of these people in 34 communities have been exposed to contaminated drinking water for at least a decade, many at levels several times higher than the arsenic limit. Despite evidence of long-term exposure, TCEQ continues to tell consumers they do not need to use alternative water supplies. Click here to download average arsenic concentrations for each water system.
