Arsenic discovered in tap water at East Village NYCHA complex
NEW YORK -- Arsenic was discovered in the tap water at a New York City Housing Authority complex in the East Village.
As CBS2's Alecia Reid reports, this affects thousands of residents in a six-block radius.
The city is advising families at the Jacob Riis Houses not to drink or cook with the water coming out of their tap. The city is handing out free bottled water to families, and a stand outside is providing water that they can use to bathe and cook with.
"I got water from that. I used it to bathe my kids because they said we can bathe in it, but I don't believe so because I broke out with a rash," resident Stacey Jones said. "Around my stomach, my neck, and my foot was really irritated, real red. Like, patches of red spots."
Other residents are hesitant to use it, as they're unsure where the water is coming from.
Residents say they got word from NYCHA around 7 p.m. Friday that arsenic was found in the water.
"We have a lot of elderly, seniors, people with children. Everybody is worried. The whole development is worried," resident Mary Cannon said.
Jones says she noticed the water was cloudy on Aug. 2 while changing the water in her fish tank. As soon as she put the fish back in, it died.
She says she called NYCHA the next day to complain. They sent a rep out, but she was told the water was fine.
Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday, a month later, NYCHA started testing immediately after getting multiple complaints of cloudy water in early August.
Now, out of an abundance of caution, tenants at Jacob Riiis Houses are being cautioned not to drink or cook with the tap water in their apartments until it is deemed safe to do so.
"It's affecting the whole development because nobody really has no real answers for us and we don't know what's going on," Cannon said.
A spokesperson from the mayor's office says additional testing Friday showed arsenic levels higher than the federal standard for drinking water. There's concern damage may have already been done.
"The question is, how long have the people and residents of Jacob Riis Housing been bathing with and drinking arsenic-laced water?" Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
The mayor says there's no evidence the cloudy water is attributed to arsenic, but the city is providing drinking water to every household while additional testing is being conducted.
"I'm really upset that they been knew and they're just now letting us know about it. Because they turned off our water one day and they said it was gonna be off from 9 to 5, and they turned it back on maybe around 12 something, 1 o'clock, and they said they were gonna be cleaning the tanks. That was about two weeks ago. So y'all been knew and you're just now letting us know. That's messed up," Jones said.
The mayor's office says this issue is limited to Riis Houses and that it is safe for New York City at large to continue drinking tap water.