Based on these reports, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets strict limits for airborne chromium-6 in the workplace.īy contrast, although it lacks a specific limit for chromium-6, the EPA has established a drinking water standard of 100 parts per billion for all forms of chromium. Scientific reports have indicated that breathing in airborne chromium-6 particles can cause lung cancer. Chromium-6 is also found in the ash from coal-burning power plants and used to lower the temperature of water in the cooling towers of power plants. Chromium-6 is used in electroplating, stainless steel production, leather tanning, textile manufacturing and wood preservation, according to the National Toxicology Program (PDF). Chromium-6, which is rare in nature, is produced by industrial processes. It comes in several forms, including what is commonly called chromium-3, an essential nutrient for the body. “And what the best science of the last decade tells us is that these chemicals acting in combination with each other can be more dangerous than exposure to a single chemical.”Ĭhromium is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, animals, plants, soil and volcanic dust and gases, according to the National Toxicology Program. “Americans are exposed to dozens if not hundreds of other cancer-causing chemicals every day in their drinking water, their consumer products and their foods,” Walker said. The group receives grant money from the Turner Foundation, which is chaired by CNN founder Ted Turner, who is no longer involved with the news organization or any Turner entity. Seven million Americans receive tap water with levels of chromium-6 that are higher than the legal limit established by California – 10 ppb – which is the only state to enforce a maximum contaminant level.Īll these figures may be confusing, but the real point is that chromium-6 is one of many chemicals in our environment, said Bill Walker, co-author of the report and managing editor of the Environmental Working Group. Specifically, the new report indicates that levels of chromium-6 are at or above 0.03 parts per billion in 75% of the samples tested by local water utilities on behalf of the EPA between 20. “Whether it is chromium-6, PFOA or lead, the public is looking down the barrel of a serious water crisis across the country that has been building for decades,” Brockovich said in a written statement Tuesday, blaming it on “corruption, complacency and utter incompetence.” But this new analysis from the Environmental Working Group, an independent advocacy group, examines evidence from water systems throughout the nation and concludes that the tap water of 218 million Americans contains levels of chromium-6 that the group considers dangerous.
There is scientific uncertainty regarding safe levels of this chemical in drinking water and possible long-term consequences of ingestion. The US Environmental Protection Agency has never set a specific limit for chromium-6 in drinking water.
#Chromium 6 movie#
Dangerous levels of chromium-6 are contaminating tap water consumed by hundreds of millions of Americans, according to a national report released Tuesday.Ĭhromium-6 is the carcinogenic chemical that was featured in the popular 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts as the titular activist.
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