What is a contaminant?
The Safe Drinking Water Act defines the term “contaminant” as meaning any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water. (1)
Therefore, the law defines “contaminant” very broadly as being anything other than water molecules. (1)
What are types of contaminants
physical contaminants (1)
chemical contaminants (1)
biological contaminants (1)
radiological contaminants (1)
What are type of water contaminants?
silt (2)
iron (2)
lead (2)
copper (2)
arsenic (2, 3)
trihalomethanes (THMs) – it is a a byproduct of chlorine (2, 3)
pesticides (2)
nitrogen (2)
phosphorus (2)
fluoride (2)
giardia (2)
E. coli (2)
cryptosporidium (2)
radium (2)
radon (2)
chromium 6 (3)
nitrate (3)
PFAS – a forever chemical (3)
barium (4)
chlorate (4)
chlorite (4)
chromium (total) (4)
manganese (4)
strontium (4)
uranium, combined (pCi/L) (4)
vanadium (4)
Resources
1. https://www.epa.gov/ccl/types-drinking-water-contaminants
2. https://waterdefense.org/water/contaminants/most-common-contaminants/
3. The Dr. Gundry Podcast/ don’t drink this water, 3/9/23
4. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=AZ0403008
