EWG INVESTIGATION

Findings

About The Data

News Release

EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

Related News Clips

WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?

Find Your Water Company

NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

Find a Contaminant

Credits

Sign up to receive email updates from EWG

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

Phosphorus is a component of fertilizer and manure, and a pollutant in municipal wastewater discharges. Potential health impacts associated with Phosphorus include cardiovascular or blood toxicity, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity, kidney toxicity, musculoskeletal toxicity, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory toxicity, and skin sensitivity.

Sources of Phosphorus:

	Agriculture (pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)
	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 Phosphorus tests reported by 162 public water suppliers in 7 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 3.3 million people in 113 communities drank water contaminated with Phosphorus. In all of these communities, tap water was contaminated at levels above health-based thresholds. Phosphorus remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

3,278,225 People drinking water contaminated with Phosphorus 113 Communities served water contaminated with Phosphorus 3,278,225 People drinking water contaminated with Phosphorus over health based limits 113 Communities served water with Phosphorus above health based limits

Table. Phosphorus Exposure by State

3.3 million Americans in 5 states were served tap water contaminated with Phosphorus at levels above health-based limits between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Phosphorus contamination		Water suppliers reporting Phosphorus above health-based limits
	Systems	Population	Systems	Population
Ohio	53	1,980,361	53	1,980,361
Utah	55	1,292,947	55	1,292,947
New York	3	3,666	3	3,666
Wisconsin	1	1,155	1	1,155
Idaho	1	96	1	96
Total	113	3,278,225	113	3,278,225

Table. The most polluted communities

3.3 million Americans in 113 communities were served tap water contaminated with Phosphorus above health based limits between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Phosphorus level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	Taylorsville-bennion Wid Salt Lake, UT	49,500	1 of 1	38000 ppb (38000 to 38000 ppb)
2	Ohio - American Water Company - Beechcre Kent, OH	1,375	13 of 13	3043.46 ppb (210 to 16600 ppb)
3	Ohio - American Water Company - Aurora E Kent, OH	950	14 of 14	2024.64 ppb (290 to 3460 ppb)
4	Apple Creek Developmental Center Apple Creek, OH	185	6 of 6	1841.67 ppb (370 to 3840 ppb)
5	City of Rittman Water Rittman, OH	6,314	6 of 6	1800 ppb (1400 to 2100 ppb)
6	Village of La Rue Public Water Supply La Rue, OH	775	6 of 6	1713.33 ppb (440 to 5440 ppb)
7	West Farmington, Village West Farmington, OH	1,100	1 of 1	1480 ppb (1480 to 1480 ppb)
8	Carmel Water Department 4 Mahopac, NY	700	1 of 1	1210 ppb (1210 to 1210 ppb)
9	City of St. Clairsville Water St.clairsville, OH	5,238	2 of 2	1135 ppb (350 to 1920 ppb)
10	Village of Killbuck Water Killbuck, OH	970	18 of 18	1072.22 ppb (40 to 1960 ppb)

  Next -->

Health based limits for Phosphorus

Health Limit	Limit Value	Limit Description
Lifetime health-based limit, non-cancer risk	0.1 ppb	Concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not expected to cause any adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects for a lifetime of exposure. The Lifetime health-based limit (or Health Advisory, HA) is based on exposure for a a 70-kg adult consuming 2 liters of water per day. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Drinking Water Equivalent Level	0.5 ppb	A lifetime exposure concentration protective of adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects, that assumes all of the exposure to a contaminant is from drinking water. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Testing Summary for Phosphorus

Water suppliers report an average of 0.9 Phosphorus tests per year. 39,589 water suppliers failed to report any Phosphorus tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Phosphorus by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Phosphorus (1998-2003): 162 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.9 per year

Phosphorus Violations

Because Phosphorus 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 Phosphorus, and any level is legal in tap water.