Water In Western US Is Contaminated By Uranium

Trending News: Millions In Danger Of Drinking Water Contaminated By Uranium

Why Is This Important?

Because it might, unfortunately, be time to spring for bottled water.

Long Story Short

Dangerous amounts of uranium were found in California's drinking water — and authorities are doing little to alert people about the public health risk.

Long Story

The only thing worse than California’s drought could be its toxic tap water.

Drinking water in the sunshine state tested high for uranium — a substance known to cause cancer and birth defects, an Associated Press investigation revealed. Anyone living near farms and irrigation centers in the Western U.S. is also at risk, scientists say.

Authorities posted confusing notices on the doors of residents at a trailer park in California's San Joaquin Valley, alerting them their drinking water is unsafe. But many people in the largely Spanish-speaking community didn’t understand it could cause serious health problems.

Data curated by HealthGrove

"It says you can drink the water. But if you drink the water over a period of time, you can get cancer. They really don't explain," Giselle Alvarez, 16, told the AP.

Uranium is used as nuclear fuel for power plants and atom bombs. It also appears naturally as a result of the drought, irrigation and over-pumping natural water sources.

One in four families in the area, near Fresno, were found to be drinking dangerous amounts of uranium without knowing it. And one in 10 public water systems tested high for the chemical.

The Associated Press also tested uranium at five random homes near Modesto — and found two of them contained dangerous levels of uranium.

Californians aren’t the only ones impacted. Uranium is showing up more frequently in drinking water near farming regions in the Western U.S. Roughly two million people in California and in the U.S. Midwest live less than half a mile from groundwater containing dangerous uranium levels, University of Nebraska researchers said.

Schools and public institutions are rushing to alert residents about the tainted wells, marking fountains with "SAFE TO DRINK" signs.

"We don't have a choice. You do what you have to do,” said Terri Lancaster, principal Waukena elementary school in Tulare County.

In the past four years, California suffered its driest period in history. Farmers are now pumping groundwater at the highest rates ever, which could worsen the problem in the future.

Long-term exposure to uranium can damage kidneys and cause cancer but authorities have launched no effort to stop uranium contamination.

"We expect that it's going to take many decades to reverse this," said Bryant Jurgens, a federal water researcher.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: No water, no life. Why are authorities turning a blind eye?

Disrupt Your Feed: This feels too much like Mad Max: Fury Road.

Drop This Fact: The city of Modesto has already spent $500,000 to combat uranium in the water.