America may be facing a water crisis as a new report claims that nearly 30 million people have been drinking contaminated tap water.

Every state in the nation has breached the Safe Drinking Water Act combining in 80,000 safety violations affecting 77 million people’s drinking water.

A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that 15 percent of those offenses were health-based contamination, including lead, copper, arsenic or cancer-causing poisons.

These pollutants can lead to liver and kidney damage, cancer and birth defects. Lead exposure is especially detrimental to children with possible learning disabilities and damage to the central nervous system.

The most at-risk for having a contaminated water supply system were those in small rural communities of around 500 people. This made up 70 percent of the reported offenses.

Erik Olson, the health program director at NRDC and a report co-author, said: ‘America is facing a nationwide drinking water crisis that goes well beyond lead contamination.

‘The problem is two-fold: there’s no cop on the beat enforcing our drinking water laws, and we’re living on borrowed time with our ancient, deteriorating water infrastructure.

‘We take it for granted that when we turn on our kitchen tap, the water will be safe and healthy, but we have a long way to go before that is reality across our country.’

Although Flint, Michigan, has been the focal point for critically unsafe water, the problem is more widespread, the report claims.

The crisis in Flint has been ongoing since 2014 when the city switched its supply to a local river instead of relying on Detroit’s water in effort to save money.

Soon after the change, residents began to complain about the smell and it was revealed that lead had contaminated the water supply.

Some 8,000 children are believed to have been exposed to lead poisoning since the scandal, which has drawn national attention and led to criminal charges against six state employees.

Lead poisoning poses a large threat to infants, children and pregnant mothers. Women who drink contaminated lead water can harm the fetus by reduced growth and premature birth.

Adults can be affected by cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure, decreased kidney function and reproductive problems, according to the EPA.

The people of Flint reported skin rashes and hair loss from drinking the tainted water.

They were so concerned about the health repercussions, several stopped showering and relied on wipes instead.

Human skin does not absorb lead in water.

In 2015, 18 million people’s water supply had lead violations, according to the NRDC.

In addition to lead begin found in water, other pollutants were found across the nation.

In 2016, a Harvard University study found that more than six million people were drinking water with deadly toxins.

Drinking this water could lead to cancer, obesity, high cholesterol and may be linked to reproductive impacts such as miscarriages and birth defects, the findings claim.

In the recent report, there were often failures to report the serious contamination levels and 90 percent of the violations were subject to no formal action.

The NRDC also reports there is anywhere from six to 10 million water service lines made of lead and need to be replaced…….More Here