According to a national consumer survey by Culligan International Co., 46 percent of all Americans surveyed are very concerned about their home drinking water's lead levels.

Based on the survey's findings, which questioned a random sample of 1,000 Americans, Culligan feels that a vast majority of consumers are undereducated about major issues related to the quality of their drinking water.

Only 36 percent surveyed had ever heard of the contaminant MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether), an oxygenated fuel additive used in reformulated gasoline that has been recently discovered in certain water supplies located in 49 states.

MTBE is intended to reduce emissions from motor vehicles, but may seep through to water supplies and have a taste or odor impact on the water. The EPA considers MTBE a potential human carcinogen.

For more information on the survey, visit Culligan's Web site at www.culligan.com.