Question:
There's no question that corporations should not be allowed to dump dangerous pollutants into the water we drink?

Answer: Pollution from a handful of powerful industries has contaminated California's drinking water supplies with dangerous substances. These industries have allowed everything from rocket fuel to Chromium 6 (the toxic featured in the film Erin Brockovich) to reach our homes through our water pipes.

It's certainly no secret that drinking rocket fuel, the gasoline additive MTBE, or Chromium 6 is unhealthy. Yet these pollutants are dumped into the state's drinking water supplies by polluters like oil companies, rocket manufacturers and chromium plating facilities.

A host of health problems result from exposure to the chemicals that contaminate our drinking waters. Chromium 6 is linked to cancer, kidney damage and liver damage; perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel found in drinking water supplies throughout the state, can cause thyroid cancer, lower IQ and attention deficit disorder in infants; and MTBE may cause cancer.

Environment California is working to hold polluters accountable. We are calling for the passage of safe drinking water legislation that would require the state's biggest polluters to:

* Pay the cost of cleaning up contaminated drinking water supplies and provide communities with safe water while cleanup efforts go on.