Reimagining safe drinking water on the basis of twenty-first-century science

Twentieth-century approaches to protecting drinking water supplies cannot keep pace with the ever-expanding set of chemicals that humans emit into the environment. However, with recent advances in bioassays, the measurement of complex chemical mixtures, and artificial intelligence, we are on the cusp of developing a radically different approach to keeping our drinking water safe. In contrast to the reactive and piecemeal status quo approach, this new approach is proactive and evaluates drinking water quality more holistically by focusing on complex mixtures instead of a small set of regulated, well-known chemicals that have been studied for decades. A growing set of chemicals is emitted into the environment, making the protection of drinking water supplies challenging. This Perspective discusses a more holistic approach to the evaluation of drinking water quality that focuses on complex mixtures instead of a small set of regulated, well-known chemicals.