US water has large amounts of likely carcinogen: study

[cory777]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A US environmental group has found that drinking water in 35 American cities contains hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The study by the Environmental Working Group -- the first nationwide analysis measuring the presence of the chemical in US water systems -- is to be made public on Monday, the daily reported.

The group found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of 35 cities sampled. Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California, which has been trying aggressively to reduce the chemical in its water supply.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is considering whether to set a limit for hexavalent chromium in tap water. The agency is reviewing the chemical after the National Institutes of Health, deemed it a "probable carcinogen" in 2008.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/healthusenvironmentpollutionwater

---

Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

[Skip Intro]

1. And I still have friends that laugh at my insistence to drink only bottled water.

Years ago I held a glass of tap water to a beam of sunlight and saw all kinds of particles floating around in it. Haven't drank tap water since.

[boppers]

2. Did you know bottled water is even less regulated?

It doesn't have to meet the same safety levels as tap water.

[madrchsod]

8. yup... the "bottled water" from wisconsin...

is the same water i drink from the tap in illinois. bottle water also goes "bad". i do know that my city water is up to date with all state and federal regulations.

but i still buy a bottle for the road....

[Ian David]

13. The bottled water that crosses state lines is more tightly regulated.

However, the extra transportation raises the carbon footprint.

[skepticscott]

4. If you look at the air you breathe

in a beam of sunlight, you'll see all kinds of particles floating in it too. What exactly is your point?

[drm604]

5. How do you know it isn't also in bottled water?

Much bottled water is municipal tap water.

[Skip Intro]

11. I can see that a glass of bottled water, held up to sunlight, is clear, no visible particles

floating around in it. Given that those seem to be my choices, I'll choose the clear water.

[Ian David]

14. I drink only rain water and vodka.

Actually, I drink bottled water and the stuff that comes from my Brita filter.

And beer.

[Skip Intro]

16. Let's leave beer out of this, lol.

On second thought, let's not...

:toast:

[DeadEyeDyck]

17. Rain water is hardly safe

Rain filters the air. It scrubs the particualte out of the air. It actually takes a particual to make a raindrop. My mom said when she lived in Germany they were warned to not drink rain water or eat the snow because of the St-90 from nuclear bomb testing.

[alfredo]

20. And fish fuck in it.

[harun]

6. I drink almost entirely tap water. There is no evidence bottled water

is any "safer" than tap water. Also I don't like that it is stored in plastic.

After visiting some third world countries and seeing the water situation there, the least of my worries is the water situation here. My only concern is that it would get too expensive here if totally privatized.

[truedelphi]

7. Plus for around $ 150 any household that can afford that amount

Can eliminate most of the things that are not good in the water.

About the only thing a good filter doesn't eliminate is radioactive material, more frequent in occurrence with all the wars we are now fighting that use Depleted Uranium.

[JDPriestly]

21. Don't you taste the plastic when you drink bottled water? I do.

I drink boiled tap water and water filtered at my tap.

[IAmAWoofDog]

44. agreed

At this point, I think a person is willfully blind to read the various water stories and still regularly use tap water.

I do worry about restaurants, most don't use filters.

[skepticscott]

3. Nowhere does the article discuss

the levels that were actually found, or how they compare to the levels that were shown to actually cause cancer in lab rats (given past history, they are probably FAR below). Without a discussion of dose, this is just unjustified fearmongering (something the media excels at). Everything is toxic in too high a dose. EVERYTHING. And we are surrounded by materials that would be deadly in higher amounts, but which are harmless in the amounts we're exposed to.

[TheWraith]

18. Well spoken.

Even oxygen will kill you in sufficient concentration.

[boppers]

23. This appears to be the worst offending chemical commonly found in water:

http://dhmo.org/

[Ernesto]

9. Give me Names!.... City names that is. (Or "why we need information")

"The group found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of 35 cities sampled. Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California, which has been trying aggressively to reduce the chemical in its water supply."
http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

Will this cause a shit-storm or what if city names are publicized?

"The study by the Environmental Working Group -- the first nationwide analysis measuring the presence of the chemical in US water systems -- is to be made public on Monday, the daily reported.

[tinrobot]

10. The article doesn't list the cities. n/t

[CrawlingChaos]

12. Here are the 10 worst cities

The 10 highest concentrations found by EWG of hexavalent chromium in drinking water:

* Norman, OK - 12.90 ppb
* Honolulu, HI - 2.00 ppb
* Riverside, CA - 1.69 ppb
* Madison, WI - 1.58 ppb
* San Jose, CA - 1.34 ppb
* Tallahassee, FL - 1.25 ppb
* Omaha, NE - 1.07 ppb
* Albuquerque, NM - 1.04
* Pittsburgh, PA - 0.88
* Bend, OR - 0.78

Found at this link: http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/possible-cancer-causing-chemical-found-in-31-of-35-u-s-cities-tested/

Apparently the full report will be available tomorrow.

I'm in San Jose and this just makes my whole fucking day.

[CoffeeCat]

15. Wow, most of thse cities are blue cities...

...are they trying to kill us off slowly?

:eyes:

[FailureToCommunicate]

19. Blue Cities? More likely areas whose water comes thru rock:

"...rock strata rich in Cr(III)-bearing minerals, in particular chromite, are universally found in these areas that occur near convergent plate margins."
Places like Okla, Calif and New Mexico.

[boppers]

24. LOL, those numbers point out this is fear-mongering bullshit.

The EPA standard on maximum Hexavalent Chromium in drinking water is .10 ppm. Not billion, *million*. These numbers are hundreds and thousands of times lower than that.

[CrawlingChaos]

25. Maybe the EPA standard is way too high?

The article states California is considering a safety standard for chromium 6 at only 0.06 ppb for drinking water.

[SoCalDem]

26. * Riverside, CA - 1.69 ppb.. How did I know we would be on the list?

without even looking, I knew we would be there:(

But it's no biggie.... between the crap in the air, in the food, in the cloth we wear, the carpet we walk on, the sheets we sleep on, the plywood we use, the plastic we handle, the dodgy drugs we get from the pharmacy, the fertilizers in the dust ..who's to ever prove in court what's actually responsible for our deaths?

There are SO MANY toxins in our everyday lives, we will never be able to pinpoint the one thing that did us in.

[JDPriestly]

22. Uses of hexavalent chromium

Hexavalent chromium is used for the production of stainless steel, textile dyes, wood preservation, leather tanning, and as anti-corrosion and conversion coatings as well as a variety of niche uses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexavalent_chromium

[tpsbmam]

27. Carcinogen made famous by Erin Brockovich found in cities across the US

Source: The Telegraph (UK)

In the first nationwide analysis of the chemical in American water to be made public, the study by the Environmental Working Group detected its presence in 31 out of 35 cities that were tested. The highest levels were in: Norman, Oklahoma; Honolulu, Hawaii; Riverside, California; and Madison, Wisconsin.

The US government's Environmental Protection Agency is currently deciding whether to set a limit for hexavalent chromium in tap water after the National Institute of Health assessed it a "probable carcinogen" in 2008. The chemical has been linked to leukaemia in animals as well as liver and kidney damage.

Hexavalent chromium is often discharged from steel and pulp mills as well as metal-plating and leather-tanning facilities, the report states.

Last year, California became the first state to limit the chemical in drinking water by proposing a "public health goal" of 0.06 parts per billion. Of the 35 cities tested, the study found that 25 had levels in excess of California's proposed goal.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8215065/Carcinogen-made-famous-by-Erin-Brockovich-found-in-cities-across-the-US.html

[slackmaster]

28. It's an artist's pigment and an ice cream topping

Hexavalent chromium - It's what's for dessert.

[Kennah]

29. It's got electrolytes

[CreekDog]

40. oh nevermind

crap!

[slackmaster]

41. Hexavalent chromium used as a pigment is no less toxic than hexavalent chromium contaminants

It's used to color dyes, paints, inks, and plastic resins.

Did I say anything, including ice cream, was safe?

[CreekDog]

42. say or imply?

:rofl:

[slackmaster]

46. You're soaking in it

:nuke:

[onehandle]

30. It's in cigarette smoke. nt

[SkyDaddy7]

31. I drink NOTHING BUT WATER...

Does anyone know if water filters remove or reduce this crap? I am already at high risk with my kidneys & liver due to some really nasty medicine I am on for a sinal cord injury I had several years ago.

This is not good!

Yes, if there is any scientist out there or people in know could you tell me if filtered water helps remove this crap?

Thanks!

EDIT: Does anyone know where I can find the list of cities where this stuff was found?

[Rosie1223]

32. Table of results

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/health/hexavalent-chromium-us-cities/?sid=ST2010122002654

[SkyDaddy7]

37. Thank-you!!

:hi:

[slackmaster]

34. A decent RO system should take it out easily

I drink only pure grain alcohol and rain water.

[SkyDaddy7]

36. I used to read a lot about RO systems when...

I grew my own medicine. :) However, I had to stop out pure fear of getting caught! I live in the deep south & I am seriously hanicapped due to a spinal cord injury so getting locked up would be a death sentence for me or close to it anyway.

RO systems are pretty expensive, right?

[slackmaster]

39. You can get a low-volume, under-sink unit for about $150 or less

You wouldn't be able to shower with it, but the one I have is adequate for drinking water and cooking, even ice for serving my shrimp cocktails and oysters.

[SkyDaddy7]

45. Just curious...

What would be the point of showering with RO water? Or were you just making point in terms of volume?

Thanks for answering my questions I really appreciate it.

[slackmaster]

47. Some are concerned about absorbing ions or organics through their skin or rectum while bathing

That may be a valid concern if your water is highly contaminated.

[Tanelorn]

33. Last night I watched Gasland

in Toowoomba Australia. This major inland city is quite close
to a coal seam gas project which is in the exploration stage
at the moment. There was a Q&A afterwards with a farmer
affected by the project. She stated that our state government
had banned the use of some of the chemicals mentioned in the
film. Landowners have no rights to mineral wealth here. Also
miners have a 'right' to  exploration. 

I did not realise how extensive the gasfield in the US was or
the number of wells that have to be dug. Throughout the film I
kept thinking about Erin Brockovich and that was about just
one location. 

To their credit about half the city council including the
mayor was at the screening although they did not make public
comments. I'll be interested to see subsequent newspaper
comments they make. 

All in all the film was most disturbing because the
technology(hydralic fracking) is being exported to many
countries. This technique is used in a smaller percentage in
Australia.

Again two damnable words were used in the film - Cheney and
Haliburton

[felix_numinous]

35. I bought a water distiller

for like $260 online, you should see what is left in the pot after it evaporates off. I started doing this last year because of unidentified food sensitivities. It is well worth the money, I think.

[SkyDaddy7]

38. Does it remove hexavalent chromium?

I thought only Reverse Osmosis systems did...PLEASE enlighten me because I drink only water 24/7/365 & nothing else! I use a standard Brita filter on my refrigerater & I know now after doing a small bit of research that my filter is basically useless when it comes to nasty stuff like hexavalent chromium.

Thanks!

[felix_numinous]

48. Sorry for the late reply

Here is info about the distiller I bought: http://www.megahome.com.tw/eindex2.htm

And here is some info about what is and is not removed by distillation: http://elkhorn.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=316

I think I learned something else today by doing this research. I am hoping that my distiller has a vent that allows off gassing of the contaminants mentioned in the above article (pesticides and VOC's) If not, I may switch to a reverse osmosis system.

I have not had this water tested, but if the crap that accumulates in the boiler is any indicator, there is quite a lot of sediment in the tap water around here. (DC area). It is still better than just using filtration alone, the water tastes and looks great. I clean it often, change the small carbon filter on the spout, and use it constantly, so doubt it has a chance to grow any bacteria in it. Maybe I should get it tested to be sure.

Hey good luck to you, water purification is vital for surviving these times.

[harvey007]

43. Time to buy a tap water filtering system?

What should I get - Brita or PUR - or something else?

What is the easiest and least expensive way to go for a person living alone.

I found this chart online:

http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/water_filter_comparison.php