Potentially dangerous levels of arsenic found in California prison drinking water
A study from the University of California, Berkeley and Virginia Tech has found high concentrations of arsenic in the water supply of the Kern Valley State Prison and the surrounding communities in the California Central Valley. By looking at 20 years of water quality data, the study found that for months or even years at a time, arsenic levels in the prison and the communities exceeded the federal limits. In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency reduced the maximum acceptable arsenic level from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb. The new law did not go into effect until 2006, yet Kern Valley Prison opened a year before that with no plans for arsenic remediation, even though data showed the prison would not meet federal standards.