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Tap water in the U.S. is among the safest in the world, but millions of Americans still drink contaminated water every day.
美国的自来水是世界上最安全的自来水之一，但仍然有数百万美国人每天喝着受污染的自来水。
Here's why America's drinking water can be unsafe and what's being done to fix it.
本期将解释为什么美国的饮用水可能不安全，以及美国正在采取什么解决措施。
Most Americans drink tap water from their kitchen sink and think nothing of it.
大多数美国人都从厨房的水槽接自来水喝，并对此习以为常。
But depending on where you live, it could make you sick.
但有些地区的自来水可能致病。
The Safe Drinking Water Act was passed by Congress in 1974, which regulates drinking water in about 155,000 public water systems.
1974年，美国会通过了《安全饮用水法案》，对美国大约15.5万个公共供水系统的饮用水进行管理。
Under this law, the Environmental Protection Agency enforces quality standards which protect our tap water from over 90 different contaminants, like E.Coli or asbestos.
根据这项法律，美国国家环境保护局对自来水执行质量标准，以保证其免受90多种不同污染物，如大肠杆菌或石棉的影响。
Almost always, state governments are tasked with regulating that law and ensuring treatment plants properly test for those contaminants.
州政府通常负责这项法律，并要求处理厂测试水中是否含有这些污染物。
But decades of industrial dumping, farming pollution, water plant deterioration, and lead pipe corrosion have taken a toll on local water systems.
但由于数十年的工业倾倒、农业污染、水厂设施老旧和铅管腐蚀问题，当地供水系统已经受到了损害。
Contaminants like lead, arsenic and per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, can slip through the cracks.
铅、砷和全氟/多氟烷基化合物，即“永久性化学物质”等污染物，可能会钻空子。
These contaminants are linked to cancer, brain and nervous system damage, fertility problems, hormone disruption, and other health hazards.
这些污染物与癌症、大脑和神经系统损伤、生育问题、荷尔蒙紊乱和其他健康问题有关。
But many local water treatment plants, especially those in small, poor and minority communities, simply can't afford the equipment necessary to filter out contaminants or replace aging pipes.
但许多地方水处理厂，特别是小型、贫困和少数族裔社区的水处理厂，根本负担不起用于过滤污染物或更换老化管道设备的支出。
Take the Flint, Michigan water crisis, for example.
以密歇根州弗林特市的水危机为例。
In 2014, officials tried to save money by switching to a new water source, but the corrosive water ate away at old pipes and fixtures in Flint's water system, leaching dangerous amounts of lead into drinking water.
2014年，官员试图通过改换新的水源以节省资金，但具有腐蚀性的水侵蚀了弗林特市供水系统的旧管道和固定设施，高含量的铅浸入了饮用水中。
Since Flint, high lead levels have been found in tap water in major cities like Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Newark, New York, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C.
自弗林特市水危机以来，巴尔的摩、芝加哥、底特律、密尔沃基、纽瓦克、纽约、匹兹堡和华盛顿特区等主要城市的自来水中都发现了高含量的铅。
As many as 12 million lead pipes carry drinking water into the homes of at least 22 million people in the U.S. But the Biden-Harris administration is working to fix that.
多达1200万根铅管将饮用水输送到至少2200万美国人的家中。但拜登-哈里斯政府正在努力解决这一问题。
In December 2021, the administration announced a $15 billion plan to replace 100% of lead pipes nationwide.
2021年12月，美国政府宣布了一项150亿美元的计划，在全国范围内更换所有铅管。
But advocates warn it could cost up to four times more than that.
但有倡导者警告说，该计划的成本可能会比预算高出四倍。
