Citizens’ Knowledge, Beliefs and Actions Regarding Chemical Contamination of Drinking Water

Abstract

To obtain background information for the development of educational materials, we studied a sample of water supply customers in a nonmetropolitan area in New York State. We examined knowledge, beliefs and actions related to chemical contamination of groundwater used as a source of drinking water. Respondents knew many of the key concepts related to water and health to which new information about the chemical contamination of groundwater could be linked. Respondents were less familiar with the terms, groundwater and parts per million. Few misconceptions were observed. Respondents who knew more about water and health tended to have more positive beliefs about seeking information about drinking water quality, be more interested in information, and report reading or learning about drinking water quality more frequently.