Yet another front-page article by Charles Duhigg in today's New York Times reiterates his favorite message: America's tap water is extremely dangerous.
(In news that The Times apparently deems less important, the CDC reports that Americans' average life expectancy has reached an all-time high, while the death rate continues its decades-long decline.)
"Duhigg's 'crusading' columns in The Times aim to prove that we have more chemicals in our water than have been tested or regulated," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. "He doesn't even try to reveal that the few people harmed by our water supply are harmed by microbial contamination, not by chemicals. His message is intended to scare Americans about the safety of our drinking water. Contrast this with the fact that we have a rising life expectancy and lower death rate, despite the increasing number of chemicals in our environment, in our water, and even in our bodies, and despite the persistent drumbeat of scares about all the 'toxins,' 'carcinogens,' and chemicals in our environment."
ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan agrees: "The good news keeps coming about life expectancy, lower cancer rates, and falling death rates, but there are always plenty of people who want you to think you're in danger."