How did your member of Congress vote???

189 members of Congress actually voted against
stricter standards for arsenic in your drinking water.

The National Academy of Sciences says that arsenic in drinking water may cause bladder, lung, and skin cancer, harm the nervous system, heart and blood vessels, and cause birth defects and reproductive problems. Yet, last year the Bush Administration stalled a new regulation to lower the amount of arsenic in our water from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb.

The Research
Despite the findings of 6 National Academy of Sciences reports that supported a lower standard, the administration argued that the rule was not based on "sound science." In September, the Academy issued its 7th arsenic report, which concluded that even the 10 ppb standard presents risks of lung and bladder cancer about 30 times higher than the EPA's "maximum acceptable" cancer risk. Congress, pushed by the League of Conservation Voters and other environmental organizations, finally stepped in and voted to prohibit the EPA from delaying or weakening the lower standard.