You Won’t Believe What Is In Davenport’s Drinking Water

From brushing our teeth to making our morning coffee, water plays a huge role in our lives. But have you ever stopped to think about whether or not the water you're consuming is safe?

The Environmental Working Group just released a new website called the EWG Tap Water Database, which allows users to enter their zip code and find out exactly how many contaminants are in our water supply. The info is taken straight from the Environmental Protection Agency from samples that were tested from 2010-2015. The info about Davenport was also provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

A quick search of Davenport's zip codes shows that water from Iowa-American Water Company, which serves over 137,000 people, has 7 contaminants that are over health guidelines and 9 other detected contaminants. The contaminants include chloroform, 1,4 dioxane, a carcinogen; chromium, a heavy metal; and nitrate, a fertilizer chemical. All of these are known to cause cancer. Many of the contaminants on the list are also capable of causing problems during pregnancy.

It's important to note that although the contaminants exceed what some research says is safe,  the Davenport water supply still meets legal standards, and therefore has been deemed safe to consume, as of March 2017. This Huff-Po article helps explain that blurry line of safety here.

No matter what, I would suggest using a high-quality water filter if you don't already. Always better to err on the side of caution. The EWG has a guide to choosing the best water filter here.

Learn more about what's in Davenport's water here.