Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water

Since 2004, water provided to nearly 49 million Americans has contained illegal amounts of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive materials, as well as dangerous bacteria, a New York Times investigation has found. Fewer than 6 percent of the systems in violation were fined or punished by officials, including the Environmental Protection Agency, which is supposed to enforce those standards. Millions of instances of illnesses in the U.S. are linked to water contaminants, studies show. The EPA is supposed to announce a new enforcement policy soon.