Chemicals In Water Supply Near Chicago Linked To Cancer
Every day we use our household water to drink
, wash dishes, water plants and bath. We pay taxes to ensure that this water supply provides us with enough water for our needs and to make sure that it is safe for our consumption. But what if our government wasn't trustworthy and allowed us to use and consume water it knew was tainted and not safe? Wouldn't happen in the USA right? Wrong! In a township in Michigan the local government hid the fact that as much as 20% of the water that it provided to consumers was tainted or contaminated well water and that it had done so over several years. Kind of makes you lose faith in your local government.
The Chicago Tribune reported that officials in the village of Crestwood, just outside of Chicago, had been secretly introducing contaminated well water into the local water supply and had been doing so for several years. For years townsfolk had wondered if there was something wrong with their water supply. The Tribune report revealed that village officials had knowingly allowed tainted well water into their water supply, but told residents that the water was actually coming from Lake Michigan.
"In response to the article, the Illinois Department of Public Health conducted a survey of disease rates in Crestwood between 1994 and 2006. The researchers found that rates of kidney and gastrointestinal cancer were significantly higher in Crestwood men than in the population at large, and rates of lung cancer were significantly higher in both men and women". The researchers couldn't definitively prove that the tainted well water caused the higher cancer rates but they definitely suspect and think it is very possible. Without definitive proof residents who developed cancer cannot sue or go after the public officials who allowed this to happen.
This is an absolutely pathetic situation that NEVER should have been allowed to happen. Local officials knowingly place residents at risk probably to save on pumping costs from bringing the water in from Lake Michigan. Even if the residents can't prove that the tainted water caused their cancer they should be allowed to sue those officials for knowingly putting their lives at risk. Municipal water should be tested on a regular basis and audits should be run consistently to help protect local citizens.