Chromium-6: Cancer-Causing Metal Found in New Jersey Drinking Water
Chromium-6 is the cancer-causing metal made famous in the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, which starred Julia Roberts. Is history repeating itself? According to a study published on September 20, 2016 by the Environmental Working Group, the unfortunate answer may be “yes”.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a “non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.” Their study, found the cancer-causing toxin in “at least” 138 New Jersey communities. Since the famous case involving the real-life Erin Brockovich, the EPA has never set a specific “safe” limit for chromium-6 in drinking water. Brockovich finds that fact shameful, given that the chemical has been shown to cause cancer at even “insanely low levels”. Brockovich released a written statement shortly after the study became public noting the there’s a “serious water crisis across the country that’s been building for decades”. She didn’t mince words, blaming the inaction by the federal government on “corruption, complacency and utter incompetence”.
Dangers of Chromium-6
Chromium-6, as mentioned, is a toxic metal that’s also known as hexavalent chromium. According to the Environmental Working Group, it can cause liver damage, reproductive and developmental problems, and the medical problem that most of us fear — cancer. The group contends that if left untreated, chromium-6 in tap water will cause more than 12,000 excess cases of cancer by the century’s end.
National Concern
Although New Jersey is making news because the toxin was found in the tap water of every county in the state, this is not just a problem for New Jersey residents. The Environmental Working Group created an interactive map, based on findings from the EPA and found chromium-6 present in all 50 states.
So far, the only state in the country to set a limit for chromium-6 in drinking water, is California. They’ve set the limit at 10 parts per billion. Yet the EPA continues to resist setting a standard, even though, according to the EWG, a two-year study by the National Toxicology Program found that drinking water with chromium-6 caused cancer in laboratory mice and rats. Instead, the EPA uses a total chromium limit which includes chromium-3, chromium-5 and chromium-6, of 100 parts per billion.
Politics
A chemical-industry-led challenge has thus far stalled federal regulators, even though scientists in California and in numerous other states assert that the chemical causes health problems even at very low levels.
The EPA’s Take on the Problem
The EPA affirms that is still conducting studies of its own and is “actively working on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of (chromium-6) hexavalent chromium.” The agency expects a draft of the IRIS assessment will be available to the public sometime in 2017.
Under the Safe Water Drinking Act, the EPA can decide to regulate a contaminant such as chromium-6 only after it meets the following three criteria:
- The contaminant may have an effect on the health of the public.
- The contaminant is known to or is likely to occur in public water systems with a frequency and at a level to cause public health concerns.
- The contaminant, in the sole judgement of the EPA Administrator, the regulation of the contaminant would result in “a meaningful opportunity” to reduce health risks for those using public drinking systems.
The EPA currently has a drinking water standard for all forms of chromium of 100 parts per billion (ppb). New Jersey currently follows the same standard.
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