Another water supply contaminated by dry cleaners. Hundreds of places have had their water supply poisoned from toxic chemicals.  Many times it was not even detected until it was too late. Both public water supplies and wells are at risk from contamination.

 

In Fresno, California, a community center building had been closed due to toxic chemicals. The water the people using the building was found to contain two hazardous chemicals. One of them, tetrachloroethylene, is an industrial solvent used in dry cleaning operations for years. Coincidentally, there is a nearby dry cleaners that had operated for decades apparently leaking the toxic chemicals. That facility is listed as a hazardous waste site. The second substance found in the water is benzene. A cancer causing chemical usually found where petroleum products have been stored or manufactured. The source of the benzene has not yet been reported. The city is telling residents they found the chemical contamination in the water by testing and not because people became sick.

That may be true however, how long was the water being used by the residents at the community center prior to testing? There are many towns and cities who allowed their residents to use hazardous water and delayed testing for years. Why was the water not being tested annually or even more frequently? With a known hazardous waste site nearby such as the cleaners, more precaution would have been prudent.