Over 200 Million US Homes Have ‘Brockovich’ Carcinogen In Their Taps

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), and independent advocacy group, reported that the tap water supply of 218 million Americans contain dangerous levels of chromium-6, a carcinogenic chemical made famous by Erin Brockovich.

Dating back to 2000, chromium-6, a carcinogenic chemical, was featured in the then popular film “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts. It tells a real-life story of a single mom turned titular activist, Erin Brockovich, who brought Pacific Gas & Electric Company, a multi-billion dollar corporation, to its knees because of polluting a city’s water supply.

What is chromium-6?

According to the National Toxicology Program, chromium is a naturally occurring element present in nature including soil, rocks, plants, and volcanic dust and gasses. However, chromium-6, a hexavalent chromium rarely found in nature, is often used and produced by different industrial sources for coal-burning, electroplating, textile manufacturing, etc.

Exposure to chromium-6 through breathing, ingestion, and skin contact can lead to health hazards including sinus and lung cancer, nasal and skin irritation and ulceration, kidney and liver damage, reproductive problems, eye damage, and developmental harm. Exposure to this human carcinogen can also present great health risks to infants and children.

Chromium-6 in water

After over two decades of Erin and PG & E’s real-life confrontation, the issue with chromium-6 is still not over. In Environmental Working Group’s new study, it was found that 218 million US homes in all 50 states have dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium or chromium-6 in their taps. More so, other cancer-causing chemicals are also found elsewhere.

More than 75 percent of the drinking water and water systems samples tested from different U.S. cities from 2013 to 2015 are found to be contaminated with chromium-6. By the end of the century, this chromium-6 exposure is seen to pose an estimate of over 12,000 excess risks of cancer if the contaminated water is left untreated, according to EWG.

Of the public water systems tested by EWG, only one exceeded the EPA’s maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG) for chromium which is 0.1 mg/L or 100 parts per billion. However, 2% of these water systems equivalent to 1,370 counties exceeded California’s standard chromium-6 levels of 10 parts per billion with Phoenix having the highest average level.

Chromium-6 regulations

“Water has become a repository for industrial waste. There are hundreds of toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals in our water supply. People are being misled to believe that drinking water is safe because it meets government standards. The notion that the EPA’s allowable concentration levels of toxic contaminants in your drinking water are “safe” is a myth.

If a certain chemical or a heavy metal such as chromium 6 is present in trace amounts and you drink this water over an extended period, it accumulates in your body which contributes to a chronic health disorder,” Dr. Speiser says agreeing to Brockovich’s stand against chromium-6.

Although the government standards declare safe levels of certain chemicals and contaminants in our drinking water, will you be secured knowing that the water you’re drinking and serving your loved ones have certain chemicals in them? As these “safe” levels of certain chemicals and heavy metals accumulate over time, can you really call them as “safe?”

What you can do about it

If chromium-6 remains unregulated in the drinking water supply of Americans, it will leave them at high risks of chromium-6 contamination that may lead to cancer.

To protect your family from exposure to hexavalent chromium, you must be aware of your present environment. Are you living near a site that manufactures or disposes of chromium compounds? If you are, then you must know how much chromium levels there are. More than that, you must secure the cleanliness and safety of your tap and drinking water supply.

For professional help in air and water filtration systems, contact 1-800-444-3563 today. CWR Enviro is a leading filtration systems provider throughout the United States. You and your family deserve nothing less than clean, safe, and chromium-free water supply!