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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Lela Nargi

Rat fur, arsenic and copper: the dangerous ingredients lacing US prison water

Black and white photo of bed, table, toilet and window
Prisoners in FCI Coleman Medium in Coleman, Florida, in 2015. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Russell Rowe spent almost two and a half years in Washington DC’s central detention facility, where rusty water flowed from taps in sinks that were connected to toilets. He remembers dawdling at the nurse’s station when it was time to take his meds, in hopes she’d give him an extra, tiny “portion” cup of water, the cup that often holds or accompanies pills.

“I was just in a state of constant dehydration,” he said. “My whole body felt different. I just didn’t feel well.”

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