Residents of Fallon, Nev., a town which has extremely high levels of arsenic in its water, say that arsenic really isn't that big of a deal.
As the government clamors to define an acceptable arsenic standard, there are some in the United States who say that arsenic really isn't that big of a deal. Residents of Fallon, Nev., population 8,300, are some such people, reports the L.A. Times.
A study of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data from 25 states by the Natural Resources Defense Council recently found that Fallon's water system delivered more arsenic to its customers than any other large system, defined as one serving at least 3,300 people. Water out of the taps in Fallon contains about 90 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic - this is nearly double the current government standard of 50 ppb.