Residents In Kansas Have Been Drinking Polluted Water For Years — And Officials Hid It From Them

Everyone should have access to safe, clean water. But unfortunately, that’s not the case. While Flint, Michigan has famously been in the news for their tainted drinking water, there are other areas of the United States that are suffering as well. And one state had no idea until now.

Residents of Kansas, especially near the Wichita area, have reportedly been drinking polluted water for years — and officials said nothing. According to Bustle, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment found that a dry cleaning chemical called perchloroethylene, or PCE, had been detected in groundwater all the way back in 2011.  Sure — there are chemicals in a lot of what we eat and drink. But for the residents of Kansas? The level of PCE is rumored to be about 10 times the level in which the water would still be considered safe.

Not only did the Kansas Department of Health and Environment not tell people for six years, but they also neglected to test nearby well water. According to The Wichita Eagle, those who knew about it figured the contamination would travel naturally away from the wells.

But it didn’t. And now, residents might feel the effects. Per the Eagle, high levels of PCE could cause problems with a person’s kidneys, liver, and reproductive system. In other words, it’s serious.

Why wasn’t action taken? Cleaning up pollution requires a lot of money — and simply put, some towns just can’t afford it. But still, you’d assume that the residents would at least hear about the issue. Especially because their health is at risk.

“There’s never going to be enough money to do everything at once, so we have to prioritize. I think we’ve done a fairly good job of that,” said Leo Henning, director of environment for KDHE, per the Eagle. “Right now our main challenge — and where we’re trying to get to — is making sure there are no Kansans drinking contaminated water.”

Hopefully, the problem gets solved soon — and hopefully, other towns take note if they run into similar problems. Pollution is a significant issue, but directly living with it without knowing is simply dangerous.