#180: Dissecting Distrust In The Tap

Over the past 20 years, trust in public institutions has plummeted and sales of bottled water have skyrocketed. A new book titled Profits Of Distrust explores how these trends are related and the correlation between distrust of tap water and government agencies such as utilities.

The analysis is discussed in this episode with Manny Teodoro, one of the book’s authors and a Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In addition to outlining the problem, the book presents a series of reforms that could rebuild public trust in the water coming out of the tap. Manny talks about several of them including consolidation of utilities, enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act, improving Consumer Confidence Reports, paying attention to the taste of tap water, and providing universal service across America.

Attached link

Taxonomy

• Standards & Quality
• Quality
• Public Trust Rights and Obligations

2 Comments

1. Much of the distrust is caused by the politics of water fluoridation which isn't supported by science.  Fluoridation began in 1945 with the mistaken belief that fluoride was an essential nutrient which teeth required to develop decay-resistant. Modern science disproved that - meaning that, consuming a fluoride free diet, doesn't cause cavities.  Like all drugs, fluoride has adverse side effects ranging from discolored teeth to reduced IQ in babies developing brains.  Many people avoid tap water to avoid fluoride.  Organized dentistry uses its money and clout to protect fluoride - even when it's purposely added to water - and then they encourage children to drink it and encourage parents to mix infant formula with tap water.  Boiling water condenses fluoride.

   In effect organized dentist encourages kids to drink the toxic brew we call tap water - whether it's fluoridated or not.

    

2. I feel partly the reason many distrust tap water is because there are so many chemicals you dont want to be drinking that are in the water provided as evidenced by www.ewg.org/tapwater. I see that the author is in Wilmington, Delaware and the water in your own district as measured by the largest water utility shows 53 total contaminants with 16 exceeding national guidelines.