Wednesday, October 8, 2025
  • Login
CEO North America
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
    • Entrepreneur
    • Industry
    • Innovation
    • Management & Leadership
  • CEO Interviews
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • Environment
  • CEO Life
    • Art & Culture
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
    • Entrepreneur
    • Industry
    • Innovation
    • Management & Leadership
  • CEO Interviews
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • Environment
  • CEO Life
    • Art & Culture
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
CEO North America
No Result
View All Result

CEO North America > CEO Life > Environment > Highest metal concentrations in US water systems are in minority communities.

Highest metal concentrations in US water systems are in minority communities.

in Environment
Highest metal concentrations in US water systems are in minority communities.
Share on LinkedinShare on WhatsApp

Significantly higher arsenic and uranium concentrations in public drinking water have been linked to communities with higher proportions of Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and non-Hispanic Black residents, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Arsenic and uranium were higher for Hispanic/Latino and American Indian communities nationwide, while higher proportions of non-Hispanic Black residents were associated with higher arsenic and uranium only in the West and Midwest regions where water arsenic and uranium are the highest.

Until now studies evaluating these associations were not possible because estimates of nationwide contaminant concentrations were not publicly available for the majority of public water systems. The findings are published in Nature Communications.

In many U.S. communities, drinking water is a significant source of exposure to arsenic and uranium, which are major environmental exposures associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease and other adverse health outcomes. The EPA sets a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 30 µg/L for uranium and 10 µg/L for arsenic. However, EPA’s non-enforceable maximum contaminant level goal for both is 0 µg/L because there is no known safe level of exposure to either.

“Our findings are particularly relevant to public health because there is no safe level of exposure to inorganic arsenic and uranium,” noted Irene Martinez-Morata, MD, Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and first author. “These findings support that inequalities in public water contaminant exposures are more severe in regions with more residents from communities of color relying on public drinking water and higher concentrations of specific contaminants in source water.”

“All communities, regardless of racial/ethnic makeup, deserve access to clean, high quality drinking water,” said Anne Nigra, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. “Our analysis indicates that this is not currently the case in the US. Even after accounting for socioeconomic status, communities of color have higher arsenic and uranium in their regulated public drinking water.”

The researchers used county-level, population-weighted concentration estimates of arsenic and uranium concentrations in public water systems across the U.S.—estimates based on the most recent publicly available nationwide monitoring data gathered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Water metal concentrations were available for a total of 2,585 counties for arsenic and 1,174 counties for uranium. Parallel analyses were conducted for each of these racial and ethnic groups: non-Hispanic Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, and non-Hispanic White.

“The quality of your drinking water should not be related to the racial/ethnic makeup of your community,” remarks Martinez-Morata. “Our findings can advance environmental justice initiatives by informing federal regulatory action and financial and technical support to protect communities of color.”

Courtesy phys.org. By Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Article available here.

Tags: Communities of ColorDrinking waterEPA

Related Posts

What is the ‘hidden’ climate risk in your financial portfolio?
Environment

What is the ‘hidden’ climate risk in your financial portfolio?

Emission taxes may undermine corporate investment and do little for the environment
Environment

Emission taxes may undermine corporate investment and do little for the environment

How intergenerational action speeds up climate progress
Environment

How intergenerational action speeds up climate progress

Drought: What you need to know about this growing global risk
Environment

Drought: What you need to know about this growing global risk

Pollution-sucking vacuum plant begins operations
Environment

Putting a price on pollution

When Will Climate Disclosures Start to Impact Decarbonization?
Environment

COP30 special envoys: Here’s how to address emissions in trade

Trump joins discussion with leading CEOs at World Economic Forum
Environment

Can America thrive in an economy without fossil fuels? Of course! 

Time to regenerate: Why the global food industry should embrace regenerative agriculture now
Environment

Time to regenerate: Why the global food industry should embrace regenerative agriculture now

Four steps financial institutions can take on the path to net zero
Environment

AI and Climate Change: How to Reliably Record Greenhouse Gas Emissions

World’s biggest iceberg, A23a, has broken up
Environment

World’s biggest iceberg, A23a, has broken up

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • The payoff of meaningful employee belonging
  • Nicole A. Kivisto, President and CEO of MDU Resources, sits down with CEO North America Magazine to share the company’s CORE strategy
  • AMD and OpenAI announce strategic partnership
  • China tipped to grow by 4.8% despite tariff pressures
  • Trilogy Metals shares explode 200% following Trump announcement

Archives

Categories

  • Art & Culture
  • Business
  • CEO Interviews
  • CEO Life
  • Editor´s Choice
  • Entrepreneur
  • Environment
  • Food
  • Health
  • Highlights
  • Industry
  • Innovation
  • Issues
  • Management & Leadership
  • News
  • Opinion
  • PrimeZone
  • Printed Version
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

  • CONTACT
  • GENERAL ENQUIRIES
  • ADVERTISING
  • MEDIA KIT
  • DIRECTORY
  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Advertising –
advertising@ceo-na.com

110 Wall St.,
3rd Floor
New York, NY.
10005
USA
+1 212 432 5800

Avenida Chapultepec 480,
Floor 11
Mexico City
06700
MEXICO

  • News
  • CEO Interviews
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • Environment
  • CEO Life

  • CONTACT
  • GENERAL ENQUIRIES
  • ADVERTISING
  • MEDIA KIT
  • DIRECTORY
  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Advertising –
advertising@ceo-na.com

110 Wall St.,
3rd Floor
New York, NY.
10005
USA
+1 212 432 5800

Avenida Chapultepec 480,
Floor 11
Mexico City
06700
MEXICO

CEO North America © 2024 - Sitemap

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
    • Entrepreneur
    • Industry
    • Innovation
    • Management & Leadership
  • CEO Interviews
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • Environment
  • CEO Life
    • Art & Culture
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.