Aired on December 5, 1974, with Dan Rather and Sylvia Chase as correspondents, “Caution: Water May Be Dangerous to Your Health” probed into the contamination of America's drinking water by industrial waste and certain strains of bacteria. The CBS team looked at Vermont and the Mississippi Delta region, where the water supply was found to contain 66 different chemical contaminants. Produced by Perry Wolff and Judy Crichton, the show included interviews with cancer researchers, water workers, and public health officials and revealed how little was done to solve the problem

“Caution: Water May Be Dangerous to Your Health” received strong reviews, even if the Washington Post wished it had brought home more forcefully what bad water does to one’s health. The Los Angeles Times called the show a real groundbreaker, “a documentary which dared to use TV’s teeth to expose a shameful situation” while Variety praised its “masterly job of showing how bad and wide spread the problem [was].”