The crisis in Flint, Michigan has brought to the national spotlight the importance of safe drinking water. The public puts a lot of trust in the water flowing from their taps, assuming it to be safe to use for themselves and their families.

Flint has shown how wrong things can go, and how difficult it can be to fix. In an article on http://undark.org, Andrew J. Whelton, Ph.D., assistant professor at Purdue University, says there's no excuse for notbeing prepared to deal with it quickly — and scientifically.

"History indicates that while the Commission conducts their work over the course of that first year, our nation will experience at least one large-scale drinking water disaster. Because of this, rapid, results-oriented research should be authorized in the interim. Work should begin immediately on developing the best and most thorough testing procedures for quickly identifying chemicals in contaminated drinking water. Work should also be initiated to identify the procedures necessary to safely clean out contaminated plumbing systems. These issues continue to plague or threaten every large-scale drinking water system in the United States," Whelton writes.

Read the full article here: http://undark.org/article/we-need-better-science-when-dealing-with-drinking-water-accidents/