The Perception Tap Water Is Unsafe Can Harm Poor People’s Health

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(Reuters Health via HuffPost) – Black and Hispanic adults in the U.S. have higher rates of mild dehydration than whites, and one reason may be less access to safe, clean tap water, researchers say. Since getting enough water is important for health, policy action is needed to ensure equitable access to healthy beverages including tap water, the study team writes in the American Journal of Public Health.

“Hydration is essential for maintaining proper physiological functioning, and mild levels of inadequate hydration, such as when a person begins to feel thirsty, can impair daily functioning and well-being with symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, reduced cognitive functioning, poorer physical performance, and headaches,” lead author Carolyn Brooks told Reuters Health in an email. In 2015, her co-authors on the current study published results documenting inadequate hydration among kids in the U.S. and found some striking disparities, said Brooks, a researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “These findings drove us to want to explore whether a similar pattern would emerge in the U.S. adult population.” The ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and other research showing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic differences in tap water intake also prompted the study […]

Full article: Even The Perception That Tap Water Is Unsafe Can Harm Poor People’s Health
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