Water in Texas most contaminated across U.S.: report

HOUSTON, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Texas has the most contaminated water in the United States, according to a new report released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) on Thursday.

EWG's report claimed that Texas has the most widespread contamination affecting more than 3,500 utilities serving 22 million people. The contamination included detectable levels of radium-226 and radium-228.

EWG's Tap Water Database compiles results of water quality tests for almost 50,000 utilities nationwide. EWG also mapped the nationwide occurrence of radium, the most common radioactive element found in tap water. From 2010 to 2015, more than 22,000 utilities serving over 170 million people in all 50 states reported the presence of radium in their water.

EWG said in the report that In 2001, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reported to top state officials that some types of radiation in the tap water of some Texas communities posed an increased lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 400."

One of the tips provided by EWG is to buy a water filter. Carbon technology works to reduce radon and strontium in water, EWG added.

EWG is a U.S. environmental organization founded in 1992. Enditem