PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 19, 2025
Nearly half a million Mainers are drinking tap water containing amounts of cancer-linked chemicals that, while complying with state and federal limits, still pose a public health danger, according to a new study from a national public health advocacy group. The Environmental Working Group is calling for stricter regulatory standards for hexavalent chromium, arsenic and nitrate, and urging public water systems to invest in technology that could filter them all out at once. “The public health benefits are undeniable,” Melanie Benesh, an Environmental Working Group spokeswoman, said Wednesday when the findings were published, adding that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “is moving too slowly.” She said: “Our laws haven’t kept pace with the risks from our tap.”