EWG INVESTIGATION

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EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

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WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?

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NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

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Status: Unregulated - EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

Lithium is a pollutant from mining and a chemical used for treatment for bipolar disorder. It occurs naturally in soil and rock. Potential health impacts associated with Lithium include kidney toxicity and neurotoxicity. [read more]

Sources of Lithium:

	Sprawl and Urban Areas (road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)
	Industry
	Naturally Occurring (naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Lithium tests reported by 10 public water suppliers in 2 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 21.1 million people in 5 communities drank water contaminated with Lithium. No health-based limit has been established by the federal government.Lithium remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

21,141,607 People drinking water contaminated with Lithium 5 Communities served water contaminated with Lithium

Table. Lithium Exposure by State

21.1 million Americans in 2 states were served tap water contaminated with Lithium between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Lithium contamination
	Systems	Population
California	4	21,133,300
Nevada	1	8,307
Total	5	21,141,607

Table. The most polluted communities

21.1 million Americans in 5 communities were served tap water contaminated with Lithium between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Lithium level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	City of Glendale Water Dept. Glendale, CA	200,000	161 of 162	296.97 ppb (0 to 4300 ppb)
2	South Truckee Meadows Gid Reno, NV	8,307	4 of 5	184 ppb (0 to 260 ppb)
3	Los Angeles City, Deptartment of Water & Los Angeles, CA	3,828,700	1 of 1	47.6 ppb (47.6 to 47.6 ppb)
4	Metropolitan Water District of So. Cal. La Verne, CA	17,000,000	11 of 29	14.55 ppb (0 to 47 ppb)
5	City of Santa Clara Water Santa Clara, CA	104,600	12 of 12	11.54 ppb (4.5 to 15 ppb)

Testing Summary for Lithium

Water suppliers report an average of 3.9 Lithium tests per year. 39,741 water suppliers failed to report any Lithium tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Lithium by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Lithium (1998-2003): 10 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 3.9 per year

Lithium Violations

Because Lithium is unregulated in tap water, no violations are recorded in EPA's violations database, the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Under the federal tap water law, water suppliers are not required to routinely test for Lithium, and any level is legal in tap water.