Hispanic communities are more likely to experience poorer water quality and higher exposure to PFAS.
Nearly one-third of people in the United States have been exposed to unregulated contaminants in their drinking water that may pose health risks, according to a new analysis by scientists at the Silent Spring Institute. The study also found that Hispanic and Black communities are disproportionately affected, facing higher levels of unsafe contaminants and greater proximity to pollution sources compared to other groups.
Published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, these findings highlight increasing concerns about the safety of drinking water in the U.S. and the unequal burden of water contamination on communities of color.
Close to 100 contaminants are currently regulated under the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act. This means public water utilities must test for these contaminants and take steps to ensure levels don’t exceed certain limits by installing new treatment systems and taking other measures.
“Yet, we know there are thousands of other harmful chemicals that are not regulated that make their way into groundwater and surface waters, and some of these chemicals can ultimately end up in drinking water supplies,” says co-author Laurel Schaider, a senior scientist at Silent Spring Institute.
Analysis of Unregulated Contaminants
Schaider and her team looked at data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected between 2013 and 2015 under its Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule program. The team analyzed data from 4,815 public water systems and found that 27 percent—serving 97 million residents—had detectable levels of at least one of the following chemicals:
- 1,4-dioxane, a solvent classified by EPA as a probable human carcinogen, also found in consumer products
- PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), non-stick chemicals widely used in consumer products, associated with cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol and other health problems
- chlorodifluoromethane (Freon 22), an ozone-depleting gas previously used as a refrigerant and used in the production of fluoropolymers (e.g. Teflon)
- 1,1-dichloroethane, a solvent used in paints, plastics, and pesticides associated with cancer.
Communities with a higher proportion of Hispanic and Black residents generally were more likely to be exposed to these unregulated contaminants in their drinking water and were more likely to be situated close to pollution discharge sites including wastewater treatment plants, airports and military training areas, and industrial sites.
“Our findings show that the percentage of Hispanic and Black residents in a community is a consistent predictor of poorer water quality,” says lead author Aaron Maruzzo, a scientist at Silent Spring Institute.
These racial disparities could not be explained by income or other measures of socioeconomic status, he says, suggesting that factors such as racism and the historical practice of redlining that led to the disproportionate siting of industrial facilities in communities of color could be playing a role.
Building on Previous Research
The study builds on previous research by Silent Spring, which found Hispanic residents are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of nitrate in their drinking water. EPA set a legal limit on nitrate decades ago to protect infants from a fatal condition known as “blue baby syndrome.”. Newer evidence suggests exposure to nitrate at levels below the federal standard also can increase the risk of colorectal and bladder cancer.
A 2023 study, co-authored by Schaider, looked at community water systems in 18 states and found those with a higher proportion of Hispanic and Black residents had higher levels of PFAS in their drinking water. The new Silent Spring analysis is the first to look at disparities in exposure to PFAS and other unregulated contaminants in all U.S. states, as well as Tribal lands and U.S. territories.
In addition, recent testing shows PFAS are significantly more widespread in drinking water than previously thought, so the number of residents impacted by contaminants at the time the data were collected is an underestimate, says Schaider.
In April 2024, EPA announced drinking water standards for six PFAS chemicals. The study’s findings underscore the need for federal action to regulate more contaminants and provide communities of color with more resources to address the impacts of pollution.
“Ultimately, we need to do a better job at protecting source waters and reducing discharges of pollutants into water bodies that feed into our drinking water supplies,” says Schaider.
Reference: “Socioeconomic Disparities in Exposures to PFAS and Other Unregulated Industrial Drinking Water Contaminants in US Public Water Systems” by Aaron J. Maruzzo, Amanda B. Hernandez, Christopher H. Swartz, Jahred M. Liddie and Laurel A. Schaider, 15 January 2025, Environmental Health Perspectives.
DOI: 10.1289/EHP14721
Funding for this project was provided by The Casey & Family Foundation, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under award numbers R01ES028311, P42ES027706, and T32E007069, and charitable donations to Silent Spring Institute.
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11 Comments
Stop saying it’s race-based. White people can be in poor communities and with less access to basic human needs.
So this has nothing to do with genuine scientific studies. Real testing or possible solutions. No. It’s grifting wrapped up as social justice because it can’t be racist or a scam as long as you claim concern for everyone as long as they’re not white.
Clearly the ones leaving comments so far haven’t lived in the communities described in this article. This is a real thing and it is has been happening for decades. It’s just now being brought to light. If you felt offended by this article it’s painfully clear you weren’t actual reading this article to educate yourselves, but to further the humanity divide based on the color of ones skin. If you have nothing positive to offer or a solution keep scrolling and leave the science data articles to those who truly understand and are here to improve lives, not bring them down.
Yeah but there was a concerted effort to keep certain people in certain places, and then policies were lac or not enforced because of the majority in those areas.
Redlining: Beginning in the 1930s, the federal government and banks used discriminatory housing practices to prevent Black families from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. Black families were confined to “redlined” areas, which were systematically denied investments and resources.
Restrictive Covenants: Many neighborhoods used racial covenants to prevent Black families from purchasing property, pushing them into segregated and underfunded urban areas.
Did your Anglo-Saxon mindset get triggered? Sounds like an opportunity to heal yourself instead of continuing the judgement.
BS Non Info. Try being helpful and telling us the source of contaminants. You suggest a white family moved out and a non white family moves in and suddenly the water quality drops. Sorry that is not helpful. Pure race waiting article. Nothing helpful.
You are the one who made that suggestion, not the article.
Point to where I’m the article they say anything about white a white family moving and a non white family moves in and water quality drops? What the article says plain as day that areas predominantly non white “were more likely to be exposed to these unregulated contaminants in their drinking water and were more likely to be situated close to pollution discharge sites including wastewater treatment plants, airports and military training areas, and industrial sites.”
The source of the contaminants are industrial sites and waste from industries. “1,4-dioxane, a solvent classified by EPA as a probable human carcinogen, also found in consumer products
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), non-stick chemicals widely used in consumer products, associated with cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol and other health problems
chlorodifluoromethane (Freon 22), an ozone-depleting gas previously used as a refrigerant and used in the production of fluoropolymers (e.g. Teflon)
1,1-dichloroethane, a solvent used in paints, plastics, and pesticides associated with cancer.”
Did you even Graduate grade school?
The only race baiting is your comment. Its perfectly legitimate to be ignorant and wrong, but be quiet if you are.
Thank you for such informative remarks. I enjoy reading them. I hope you have a fantastic week. Keep sharing the information! Knowledge is power and we deserve all the knowledge. If some choose to ignore it and continue to be selfish and self serving, I guess that’s a choice they make to be ignorant. No one can change “stupid” other then their selves.
Love your comments
Plastic, sure it’s an issue.
But how about the pharmaceuticals they are not regulating or testing for in our water, like ketamine. That has been being used to murder people, give them cancer, miscarriages, birth defects, and other health problem for the past 40 years?