A new study has uncovered a disparity between the safety of drinking water in certain regions of California—serving majority Latino communities—and water from community water systems in other areas of the state. Led by University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) researchers, the study uncovered that some drinking water systems have higher nitrate and arsenic contamination levels, and that the contamination is exacerbated by droughts, which may become more frequent with climate change.

Long-term exposure to contaminants such as arsenic and nitrate in water is linked to an increased risk of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, developmental disorders, and birth defects in infants. According to the study, in the U.S., there is an acknowledged disparity in exposure to contaminants in tap water provided by community water systems. Scientific literature demonstrates that, oftentimes, systems distributing water with higher contamination levels exist in areas that lack adequate public infrastructure or sociopolitical and financial resources.