Americans voices concerns over tap water safety: survey

Although three in four Americans polled say they “care a lot” about what they put in their bodies, 35% have not thought about one essential part of their health in the past year: the quality of their tap water.A survey of 2,000 general population Americans found that, at a time when most claim to be more intentional than ever about their health (76%), water literacy is falling behind.Half of those surveyed believe water that meets government regulations is fine to drink (51%), yet 70% of people misunderstand regulated water.Conducted by Talker Research for Culligan International, the survey found that most people did not know arsenic (80%), nitrates (79%), and PFAS (74%) may be hiding in their tap water.Nearly half of those polled either falsely believe water that meets government regulations has no contaminants (20%) or is based on the latest science (28%).Dr.Eric Roy, head of science at Culligan International, explains more about the gap between health, science, and regulation.“It can be confusing to understand what’s in your water without foundational knowledge about water quality,” said Dr.

Roy.“Headlines add to that confusion as they keep shining light on health concerns stemming from contaminants in drinking water, while municipalities report that tap water meets current regulatory standards.”At the same time, water remains one of the most important resources we use daily.Most respondents report relying on tap water daily (92%), whether for brushing teeth (67%) and cooking (62%), or drinking (48%) and for ice and beverages like coffee or protein shakes (40% each) — underscoring how deeply this misunderstanding is embedded in everyday routines.Half of the respondents believe that if their water tastes fine, it’s safe to drink.Still, “contaminants in water” came out as the top “invisible risk” among those surveyed in their day-to-day lives (45%), followed by air pollution (43%) and food additives (42%).Despite concerns around tap wate...