Radioactive material and pesticides among new contaminants found in US tap water

Analysis identifies 56 new chemicals in water supplies - including some linked to critical diseases

Water utilities and regulators in the US have identified 56 new contaminants in drinking water over the past two years, a list that includes dangerous substances linked to a range of health problems such as cancer, reproductive disruption, liver disease and much more.

The revelation is part of an analysis of the nation's water utilities' contamination records by the Environmental Working Group, a clean water advocate that has now updated its database for the first time since 2019.