Health & Fitness
Which Virginia Communities Have Chromium 6 In Their Water — And How Much?
The "Erin Brockovich" carcinogen is found throughout Northern Virginia, but what is an acceptable level?
A new report shows drinking water supplies in Northern Virginia have the cancer-causing toxin chromium 6, though nowhere near the levels made famous in Julia Roberts’ 2000 Oscar-winning film based on the real-life environmentalist Erin Brockovich’s investigation of groundwater in Hinkley, California.
High concentrations of Chromium 6 has been linked to cancer, reproductive problems and liver problems, but none of the measurements in Virginia communities come close to the levels in Hinkley — about 1.19 parts per billion, with a peak of 3.09 ppb — according to the report from the Environmental Working Group.
Furthermore, none of the local water on the list exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum of 100 parts per billion of total chromium.
Find out what's happening in Woodbridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Environmental Working Group identified towns that exceed 0.02 parts per billion in tap water, a level that California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment set as a public health goal in 2011. The goal was set after Brockovich was successful in building a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993 that blamed the company for contaminating local water.
Officials in California believe even that level of the contaminant can be harmful and pose a cancer threat — not just for people who drink the water, but also bathe in it or have any contact.
Find out what's happening in Woodbridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, analyzed federal data from nationwide drinking water tests showing that the compound contaminates water supplies for more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states.
"Yet federal regulations are stalled by a chemical industry challenge that could mean no national regulation of a chemical state scientists in California and elsewhere say causes cancer when ingested at even extraordinarily low levels," according to the report.
Here is the list of area water commissions and countywide agencies that were tested for chromium 6. Click on the link for complete findings.
Written by Tom Davis with additional reporting by Beth Dalbey. Patch file photo.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
