A new analysis has revealed a potential carcinogen in the tap water of 31 U.S. cities and experts are looking for ways to reduce exposure of the communities. The chemical called hexavalent chromium, got public attention in the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich” and has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health.
At present basic water filters like those made by Brita and PUR do not remove hexavalent chromium but several reverse-osmosis systems designed for home use can take the chemical out of water. Bottled water from municipal water systems can still contain hexavalent chromium or other contaminants.
The analysis report was revealed yesterday by the Environmental Working Group and is the first of its kind that checks on hexavalent chromium in drinking water to be made public. The group checked water from 35 cities and found it in 31. Of those, 25 had levels that were higher than a health goal proposed last year by the state of California.
Lynn Goldman, an epidemiologist and former top official at the Environmental Protection Agency who now serves as dean of the School of Public Health at George Washington University said, “This definitely raises the issue about a national drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium and why we don’t have one…This is the very first signal that there might be a problem…But it’s premature to say we know really what the level (of contamination) is, whether it's there all the time or just intermittently and what the source is.”
Illinois senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk would be meeting with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss the report today. Last year, California released a draft of a “public health goal” for a safe level of hexavalent chromium in drinking water: 0.06 parts per billion. If the state sets a limit, it would be the first in the nation. The American Chemistry Council, which represents the chemical industry, says the California goal is unrealistic because some water supplies have naturally occurring hexavalent chromium that is higher than .06 parts per billion.
Hexavalent chromium was a commonly used industrial chemical until the early 1990s. It may still be used in some industries like those of chrome plating, plastic and dye manufacturing. The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores. In lab animals it has been shown to increase the incidence of tumors in oral cavity and small intestine.
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