時差N小時:國家飲水安全法案

The federal government's concern with safe drinkingwater dates back to 1914, when the U.S. PublicHealth Service established standards for bacteriain drinking water on ships, trains, and otherinterstate carriers.

聯邦政府對飲水安全的關注可追溯到1914年，當時美國公共衛(wèi)生局為船舶、火車以及其他州際航空公司的飲水系統(tǒng)設立了標準，嚴格控制細菌數量。

By the late 1960s, more and more man-made chemicals were being used in industry andagriculture. There was scientific proof that these chemicals were making their way into thenation's drinking water through street and farm runoff, leakages from underground disposaltanks, and factory waste. In 1972, drinking water safety first became a major public issuewhen scientists studying the Mississippi River found 36 industrial pollutants present in theLouisiana area water supply.

直到20世紀60年代，運用到工業(yè)和農業(yè)中的化學物越來越多。有科學證據證明這些化學物正通過多種方式滲入國家飲水體系，包括城市和農業(yè)徑流，地下污水處理系統(tǒng)，以及工廠廢棄物。1972年科學家在研究密西西比河時，發(fā)現路易斯安那地區(qū)的水供應中存在36種工業(yè)污染物，自此飲水安全首次成為國家的一個重大公共問題。

In response, Congress passed The Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, establishing nationaldrinking water safety standards and addressing inconsistencies in monitoring the nation's watersupply caused by differing state standards. A series of congressional amendments in 1986, '88,and '96 added additional protection. But even today, a powerful hurricane or anyunexpected disaster can cause a disruption in the controlled supply of safe drinking water—and water systems on trains, ships and airplanes need consistent monitoring — making thisan issue that requires ongoing attention.

為了應對危機，國會于1974年通過了《安全飲水法案》，設立了國家飲水安全標準，并解決了因各州標準不同造成的監(jiān)管矛盾。國會于1986年、1988年以及1996年頒布的一系列修正案又提供了附加的保護措施。然而即使在今天，一場強大的颶風或者任何意想不到的災難都會破壞安全飲水的供應。此外需要持續(xù)監(jiān)控火車、船只以及飛機上的供水系統(tǒng)。因此飲水安全問題需要人們持續(xù)的關注。