Remember Erin Brockovich? Two-Thirds Of U.S. Tap Water
Still Contains Carcinogen From Famous Case
By Kurtis Bright
Alarming New Study Shows that over 60 Percent Of U.S. Tap
Water Tainted with Chromium-6
Nothing ever changes, at least that’s what they say. And
when it comes to the carcinogen found in U.S. tap water that was made famous in
the film “Erin Brockovich,” that sure seems to be the case.
Turns out that a feel-good Hollywood movie depicting the
little guy fighting back and winning against big corporate polluters is
strictly fiction: nearly two-thirds of Americans still drink tap water tainted
with chromium-6. That’s the deadly carcinogen that was at the heart of the
lawsuit in the case that made Erin Brockovich famous. In that case, residents
of Hinkley, California sued and won against Pacific Gas & Electric for its
guilt in poisoning the groundwater in the region.
But film awards and self-congratulation aside, the reality
is that in a new study performed by the Environmental Working Group, it turns
out that two-thirds of Americans may still be exposed to the dangerous
carcinogen through their tap water every day.
In the study, which ran from 2013 to 2016, EWG took over
60,000 water samples from various locations around the U.S., with a result that
over 66 percent of them tested positive for the chemical.
And this not a trivial thing, yet another nasty chemical in
a plethora of them to which we are subjected every day, something to be ignored
with a shrug. In fact, the National Toxicology Program has stated that
ingesting chromium-6 is strongly linked to cancer in lab rats and mice. In
addition to being identified as a source of lung cancer, it can also cause
liver damage, damage to the reproductive system, and problems with brain
development.
As of this writing, California is the only state that
regulates chromium-6 levels, mandating that there can be no more than ten parts
per billion in state drinking water. However, even the state’s own Environmental
Health Hazard Assessment says that amount is dangerously high. That study dating
from 2008 recommended levels no higher than 0.02 parts per billion, which means
that the state’s actual rate of 10 ppb is some 500 times too high.
Chromium is used in the manufacture of metal plating and stainless
steel, and it is a key ingredient in wood preservation and textile
manufacturing. Some of the cities that tested highest for chromium-6 were Las
Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as Oklahoma City.
And the sad fact is that we’ve known for over 20 years that
hexavalent chromium (the six in chromium-6) causes lung cancer when inhaled. However
the most recent mice and rat studies have shown conclusively that it is also a
source of malignant tumors of the mouth and small intestines when ingested, for
instance in water.
“I think it’s resolved, as much as it can be resolved,” said
George Alexeeff, deputy director of scientific affairs at California’s Office
of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in an interview with Scientific
American.
For its part, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving
with the utmost urgency as usual: the EPA has released a statement saying it is
studying the matter and may issue national guidelines “soon.”
Meanwhile, millions of children and adults consume a dangerous
carcinogen on a daily basis. Thanks, EPA.
The Brockovich case won a record-setting jury award of over
$300 million dollars for people living in Hinkley. So one has to wonder what might
the consequences be nationwide were the EPA to admits that the current chromium-6
levels allowed are much more dangerous than previously thought.
With so many businesses not to mention the government itself
on the brink of losing perhaps billions in the inevitable deluge of lawsuits that
would follow, its no wonder they’re slow-rolling any changes.
At least it is crystal clear that they no longer are concerned
with protecting the health of the people so much as they care about protecting the
fiscal health of business--and covering their own asses.
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