Drinking water for millions of residents in many U.S. cities has been contaminated with hexavalent chromium - a cancer causing chemical or the Erin Brockovich chemical, according to a new study sponsored by the Environmental Working Group.
The study released on Dec 21 on the website of the environmental health advocate found tap water in 31 of 35 U.S. cities tested contains hexavalent chromium or chromium-6 at a level higher than the safe limit set by the state of california.
Hexavalent chromium is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as "likely to be carcinogenic to humans" when consumed in drinking water, according to the report.
The toxic metal, which can be released from steel, pulp mills, metal plating, and leather-tanning facilities, causes cancer such as gastrointestinal tumors, in animals, according to the National Toxicology Program, which is a federal healthy agency under the Department of Health that has the authority to decide whether or not a chemical is carcinogenic to humans.
Highest levels of hexavalent chromium were found in Norman, Oklahoma (12.9 ppb); Honolulu, Hawaii (2.0 ppb); Riverside, California (1.69 ppb); Madison, Wisconsin (1.58 ppb); and San Jose, California (1.34 ppb).
Based on previous studies, California has also set a limit of Chromium-6 in tap water at 0.06 ppb while the EPA set a limit at 100 ppb to protect against allergic dermatitis, according to the EWG.
The remaining 27 cities with their chromium-6 level higher than 0.06 ppb or the California limit include Tallahassee, FL (1.25 ppb); Omaha, NE (1.07); Albuquerque, NM (1.04); Pittsburgh, PA (0.88); Bend, OR (0.78); Salt Lake City, UT (0.30); Ann Arbor, MI (0.21); Atlanta, GA (0.20); Los Angeles, CA (0.20); Bethesda, MD (0.19); Phoenix, AZ(0.19); Washington, DC (0.19); Chicago, IL (0.18); Milwaukee, WI (0.18); Villanova, PA (0.18); Sacramento, CA (0.16); Louisville, KY (0.14); Syracuse, NY (0.12); New Haven, CT (0.08); and Buffalo, NY (0.07).
The cities with their hexavalent chromium lower than the California standard include Las Vega, NV (0.06 ppb); New York, NY (0.06); Scottsdale, AZ (0.05); Miami, FL (0.04); Boston, MA (0.03); Cincinnati, OH (0.03); Indianapolis, In (not detected); Plano, TX (not detected); Reno, NV (not detected); and San Antonio, TX (No detected).
The report says "Investigations by EWG and the Wall Street Journal (EWG 2005) revealed that ChemRisk, a consulting firm hired by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) to fight the Erin Brockovich lawsuit over contamination in Hinkley, Calif., had distorted data from the Chinese study and placed the falsified paper in a respected scientific journal in order to reverse the original conclusion linking hexavalent chromium to stomach cancer."
Right now, the EPA acts slowly to set a limit because of the pressure from the industry and even California is moving slowly "in the face of industry resistance", according to the EWG.
The EWG offers the following tips:
1, Use a reverse osmosis filter. For a long term, the cost be as low as $5 per month;
2, Check your annual tap water quality report to see what's in your tap water;
3, Use filtered water in your kitchen;
4, Change filters as often as needed;
5, Avoid bottled water, instead drink filtered tap water;
6, Avoid using #7 plastic bottles, which can leach a harmful plastic chemical called bisphenol A into water;
7, Pregnant women and infants should use filtered tap water;
8, Use a whole carbon filter to remove contaminants from steamy vapors.
David Liu
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