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Alarm at levels of chromium in water
Source: Agencies |
December 23, 2010, Thursday
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CALIFORNIA'S two Democratic senators have called on the Environmental Protection Agency to protect the public from hexavalent chromium following a report that found the carcinogen in the tap water of 31 cities across the US.
In a letter, Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate environment and public works committee, said she plans to introduce legislation with Senator Dianne Feinstein that would set a deadline for the EPA to establish an enforceable standard for the chemical, also known as chromium 6. The committee will hold a hearing in February.
The letter was sent after the release of a study by the Environmental Working Group that analyzed drinking water in 35 cities across America. The five cities with the highest levels of chromium 6 were Norman, Oklahoma; Honolulu, Hawaii; Riverside, California; Madison, Wisconsin; and San Jose, California.
The chemical is commonly discharged from steel and pulp mills, metal-plating plants and leather-tanning facilities, the report said.
"There are no enforceable federal standards to protect the public from chromium 6 in tap water," read the letter to EPA chief Lisa Jackson.
The letter said the current EPA tests do not show precise amounts of chromium 6.
In addition, the agency's chromium standard is outdated because it was set nearly two decades ago, the letter claimed.
Studies show that chromium 6 can cause cancer in people and has also been found to cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, lymph nodes and liver of animals.
The federal government's current total chromium standard is 100 parts per billion. California has set a goal for safe limits for chromium 6 at 0.06 parts per billion.
In a letter, Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate environment and public works committee, said she plans to introduce legislation with Senator Dianne Feinstein that would set a deadline for the EPA to establish an enforceable standard for the chemical, also known as chromium 6. The committee will hold a hearing in February.
The letter was sent after the release of a study by the Environmental Working Group that analyzed drinking water in 35 cities across America. The five cities with the highest levels of chromium 6 were Norman, Oklahoma; Honolulu, Hawaii; Riverside, California; Madison, Wisconsin; and San Jose, California.
The chemical is commonly discharged from steel and pulp mills, metal-plating plants and leather-tanning facilities, the report said.
"There are no enforceable federal standards to protect the public from chromium 6 in tap water," read the letter to EPA chief Lisa Jackson.
The letter said the current EPA tests do not show precise amounts of chromium 6.
In addition, the agency's chromium standard is outdated because it was set nearly two decades ago, the letter claimed.
Studies show that chromium 6 can cause cancer in people and has also been found to cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, lymph nodes and liver of animals.
The federal government's current total chromium standard is 100 parts per billion. California has set a goal for safe limits for chromium 6 at 0.06 parts per billion.
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