EPA Briefs Senate On Chromium-6 Tainted Drinking Water

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Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  Public Health
Article Date: 23 Dec 2010 - 11:00 PDT


A recent report by the Environmental Working Group on widespread contamination of drinking water in many US cities with cancer-causing chromium-6, also known as hexavalent chromium, the "Erin Brockovich chemical", appears have stirred a number of politicians and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into action. Lisa P. Jackson, EPA Administrator, met with ten senators on Tuesday to brief them on the issue.

The following senators were briefed: Bob Casey (PA), Bill Nelson (FL), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Richard Durbin (IL), Mark Kirk (IL), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Ben Nelson (NE), Jeff Bingaman (NM), Daniel Akaka (HI), and Jeff Merkley (OR).

Jackson made the following statement after their meeting:

"Yesterday, I briefed members of the Senate on chromium-6 in drinking water supplies as it relates to the recent Environmental Working Group report. EPA has already been working to review and incorporate the ground-breaking science referenced in this report. However, as a mother and the head of EPA, I am still concerned about the prevalence of chromium-6 in our drinking water.

Today, I am announcing a series of actions that the EPA will take over the coming days to address chromium-6 in our drinking water. It is clear that the first step is to understand the prevalence of this problem. While the EWG study was informative, it only provided a snapshot in time. EPA will work with local and state officials to get a better picture of exactly how widespread this problem is. In the meantime, EPA will issue guidance to all water systems in the country to help them develop monitoring and sampling programs specifically for chromium-6. We will also offer significant technical assistance to the communities cited in the EWG report with the highest levels of chromium-6 to help ensure they quickly develop an effective chromium-6 specific monitoring program.

The science behind chromium-6 is evolving. EPA is already on a path toward identifying and addressing any potential health threats from excessive, long-term exposure with its new draft assessment released this past fall. This assessment still needs to be reviewed by independent scientists as an essential step toward tightening drinking water standards for chromium-6. Strong science and the law will continue to be the backbone of our decision-making at EPA. EPA takes this matter seriously and we will continue to do all that we can, using good science and the law, to protect people's health and our environment."

Jackson informed that the EPA does require chromium testing of water, including chromium-6. However, she added that the testing does not have to reveal how much of the chromium is chromium-6 or chromium-3. The EPA assumes that the findings always refer to 100% chromium-6. In other words, the system does detect high chromium-6 levels.

All public water facilities comply with existing chromium standards, according to latest available data, Jackson told the senators. Even so, she eventually agreed that chromium-6 is a chemical "of concern".

Jackson added that home treatment devices can be installed to remove chromium-6 if people are especially concerned about it. Individuals can also have their water tested.

Jackson called the Environmental Working Group (ENW) report as provocative and just a snapshot in time. She added that it does not give a comprehensive, long-term picture of chromium-6 prevalence in US drinking water. The EPA says it will work with state and local authorities to find out how widespread and prevalent drinking-water contamination is. Many have subsequently wondered how the EPA can announce it is going to work to find out how widespread the problem is - meaning it does not really know - and at the same time call the ENW study provocative and just a snapshot.

The EPA announced that it will issue guidance to all water systems on how to test drinking water for chromium-6.

In a communiqué, the EPA wrote:

"EPA absolutely has a drinking water standard for total chromium, which includes chromium-6 (also known as Hexavalent Chromium), and we require water systems to test for it. This standard is based on the best available science and is enforceable by law. Ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans is a top priority for EPA. The agency regularly re-evaluates drinking water standards and, based on new science on chromium-6, had already begun a rigorous and comprehensive review of its health effects.

In September, we released a draft of that scientific review for public comment. When this human health assessment is finalized in 2011, EPA will carefully review the conclusions and consider all relevant information, including the Environmental Working Group's study, to determine if a new standard needs to be set."

Related article:
"Cancer-Causing Hexavalent Chromium In Tap Water For 89% Of US Sampled Cities"

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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