Several toxic metals,
commonly present in drinking water, are believed to play important roles in the
development of cancerous tumors. Although the US Safe Drinking Water Act
requires drinking water to meet health standards set by the Environmental
Protection Agency, violations occur regularly. In this study, we have
investigated the role of the two predominant toxic heavy metals identified in
the drinking water sources in Tennessee: copper and lead. We have analyzed the
levels of copper and lead, as well as the total water hardness among different
counties of Tennessee, with different socioeconomic backgrounds. We determined
that the effects of lead and copper in drinking water were random, although counties with typically lower average household incomes
typically had higher levels of the metals. The contaminant levels were found to
remain below the threshold established by the Environmental
Protection Agency and the State of Tennessee. Water from the
Cumberland River was harder than water obtained from other rivers in Tennessee.
Furthermore, the total hardness of water did not correlate with the average
household income of the various counties.
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