Remember back at the end of July when the media announced that EPA had declared Dimock water "
safe to drink"? Only problem was that EPA's statement that "no further action" was needed left out an important bit of information: that their results were going to be factored into a broader health study by ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry).
The ongoing ATSDR investigation is looking at longterm risks of exposures to the contaminated water in Dimock. That's because water tests found elevated levels of heavy metals - aluminum, arsenic, barium, lithium and manganese - as well as ethylene glycol, phthalates and other volatile organic compounds, things that, notes
ATSDR in a report, aren't healthy for human beings.
The ATSDR study will account for risks of long-term exposures to the
water through showering, drinking, bathing and washing, as well as risks
that might be compounded when people are exposed to multiple toxicants. And they will look at
cumulative and
synergistic effects, something that's been sorely lacking in many of the studies. Not sure when the study will be done, but you can learn more about the background in
Tom Wilber's recent article.
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