How Safe Is Your Drinking Water?

BOSTON, Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When we turn on the tap we expect clean water to come out. It's not something we even give much thought to unless we are among the millions of people who live in places where contaminants have been identified in their drinking water. Recent examples in the news include: lead in Flint, Michigan; perfluorinated chemicals at locations in states including New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire; and cancer-causing hexavalent chromium detected at potentially unsafe levels in the water supplies of two-thirds of Americans.

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"It's time we stopped taking water for granted," says Ellen Moyer, Ph.D., an environmental consultant who has authored her soon-to-be-released third book Our Earth, Our Species, Our Selves: How to Thrive While Creating a Sustainable World. "In general, we do a fantastic job of killing harmful bacteria and other pathogens in our drinking water but not such a great job of protecting our water supplies from chemical contamination. We are subjects in a giant uncontrolled experiment. Synthetic chemicals are put into commercial use before being adequately tested for safety, and they frequently find their way into our drinking water."

In an interview Moyer can explain:

• How chemicals from a variety of sources—including leaking storage tanks, lawn care, agriculture, industrial processes, and lead water pipes—get into our drinking water.
• Why water should cost more than it does. If we paid more we would treat water with the respect it deserves.
• How our society needs to transition away from toxic chemicals to "green chemistry." "Living a cleaner and greener lifestyle would help keep harmful chemicals out of our environment and out of us," Moyer says.
• What consumers can do to improve the safety of their drinking water.

Credentials: Environmental consultant Ellen Moyer, Ph.D., earned her doctorate in civil engineering and her master's degree in environmental engineering. For three decades, she has focused on the assessment and cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater, protection of drinking water supplies, and sustainability. She is a registered professional engineer, U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional, and regular contributor to The Huffington Post. She has co-presented more than 100 seminars in North America and Europe. Her latest book, Our Earth, Our Species, Our Selves: How to Thrive While Creating a Sustainable World, will be released on December 16.

Availability: Massachusetts, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone

Contact: Ellen Moyer, (413) 862-3452; [email protected]

SOURCE Ellen Moyer