How do you not consider drinkable tap water to be a huge deal?

The tap water is drinkable, you just wouldn't want it to be your primary source of drinking water.

Anyway, growing up middle class in the 80s and 90s, we had a filtered water spout on our sink. If you weren't poor, they were fairly common. Once lead was removed from the supply lines, we still continued to use them since it also stripped out chlorine etc.

My point is, work-arounds for leaded drinking water weren't impactful enough to cause crime themselves.

If you want to attribute a drastic decline in violent crime to drinking glasses filling slightly faster you're going to need some extraordinary evidence.

> My point is, work-arounds for leaded drinking water weren't impactful enough to cause crime themselves.

Ahh, I see your point. Places with high amounts of lead also have high numbers of old buildings predating lead paint laws, industrial runoff and/or dumping, and many other sources--see Fruitvale.

I had an apartment with lead pipes and couldn't drink raw tap water.

Surprisingly, it's not really a huge deal.

I’m assuming you’re employed? Not everyone will have a brita filter or the inclination to pay out their ass for bottled water.

EDIT: I don't mean to be a dick or even argue, I'm just pointing out that these problems do affect people, just maybe not most people through an effective combination of factors that reduces risk (where you live, whether you can afford a filter, etc). I certainly grew up on tap water and I am mildly disturbed people are ok with it causing massive mental health issues.

EDIT 2: Finally, I don't filter water I cook with; I imagine lead would still be a problem there. I probably should filter that water too in Oakland....

I always wonder if these "toxins in the tap water are tolerable" people ever eat at restaurants. Do they know where the water used to prepare food and make coffee and tea comes from?