Many Midwest residents distrust their tap water, opting to purchase water and ice from standalone kiosks. University of Iowa researchers recently found that these kiosks may contain at least trace amounts of lead. Rachel Schnelle investigated this research on behalf of the Midwest Newsroom. We talk with her and two University of Iowa researchers behind this study that sampled many kiosks around Iowa.
Study co-lead authors Samantha Zuhlke and David Cwiertny share how these drinking water vending machines are more likely to be located in non-white, lower socioeconomic areas, and they live in a regulatory gray area compared to community water systems and bottled water, that are more regulated.
They hope to educate Iowans on this issue, and offer solutions on a local to federal level on how to ensure safe water from these kiosks…