It’s no secret to most of the general public that the Tap water quality found in the public system is sub-par and has been that way for several years. However, it didn’t really come to national attention after the Flint water crisis of 2014, where it was discovered, after the city’s water source switched over to the Flint river, that the whole water works system of the city was contaminated with ludicrous levels of lead. Not only that, it was loaded with THMs and deadly bacteria, as well as possibly causing a legionnaires’ outbreak.

Thankfully, as of late, the state of Michigan has pledged to replace all of the pipes, riddled with lead and bacteria, in the city of Flint. However, this is just one piece of the puzzle that has been solved as of late.

In areas across the state of New Jersey, several schools; universities; and even towns are dealing with similar issues, especially overt stricken areas of New Jersey. As we prepare to begin rolling out a water awareness website soon, here are three articles you should pay attention to, whether it be about a certain area or a toxin in the water that has major health risks.

1) Chromium-6
In September of 2016, the Westfield Patch ran a story about a cancer-causing toxin in several towns in New Jersey called Chromium-6. The article goes onto detail what towns are affected (Including Trenton and Camden!) and the effects of the toxin over a lifetime, including cancer and liver damage. The reporter, Tom Davis, does a superb job informing the people of the affected towns and the severe effects of the toxin. While the author does not give precautions on how to prevent consuming the toxin or filtering it out, he goes into great detail about the Toxin, including referencing a movie in which it was made aware to the public. The article also references reports from the EPA, which shows the acceptable level and what the level was in those towns named.

2) “Teflon” Chemicals

In August of 2016, NJ.com ran a story about how NJ was a “hot spot” for “Teflon chemicals” in the public water system. The Author, Kathleen O’Brien, cites numerous articles, documents, scientists and graphics in order to prove the dangers of “Teflon” chemicals in the State of New Jersey. In areas where there are “Teflon” chemicals, or known also as “PFAS”, according to a map from the Environmental Science & Technology Letters, the entire state of New Jersey is blue, which means PFAS has been detected. O’Brien also warns of the dangers of PFAS in this article in vivid detail, which include Cancer and kidney problems. Also mentioned in the article is where the highest readings were and what counties the compounds were found in.

3) Chemicals at a Military Base?
And Just recently, NJ.Com published another water story about how the Joint Mcguire-Dix-Lakehurst base was contaminated with 2 chemicals found in fire-fighting foam. The author, Kevin Shea, describes what the chemicals, commonly known as PFOS and PFOA, are commonly used for, such as clothing and food packaging and other items; the rest of the conducted study; and what other water works are affected, including lakes and streams. Again, the author does not give any precaution alerts on how to filter out these chemicals, but does do a good job informing the public where it was located, where it came from, and what it can do and where else it is used.

As you can now see, the crisis of the water quality goes beyond flint and stems into New Jersey, with some towns having an even worse crisis with their water supply. With chemicals in the water, whether found in other products or cancer-causing toxins, it’s already bad enough to use it for other needs than fluid, but potentially deadly over time. The public needs to be aware that this is in the water and must take action in order to improve the quality of the public water system in their towns.