"Tighter Rules On Arsenic In Water Saved Lives" - Robert Preidt
U.S. government limits on arsenic in drinking water have likely averted hundreds of cases of lung and bladder cancer annually, a new study suggests. After the Environmental Protection Agency introduced tighter limits on arsenic in public drinking water in 2006, there was a 17 percent decrease in levels of arsenic in the urine of people served by public water systems that complied with the rule, the researchers found. Not only that, but there were an estimated 200 fewer cases of lung and bladder cancer a year after the tougher rules were put in place. "The findings are consistent with data from previous studies of the health benefits of reducing arsenic concentrations in drinking water," said Philip Landrigan, MD, MSc, professor of environmental medicine and public health, pediatrics and dean for global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "They are also concordant with analyses of the benefits of interventions against air pollution, which have been shown produced major gains both for human health and the economy.”
- Philip Landrigan, MD, MSc, Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Pediatrics, Dean for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
