Chromium in drinking water causes cancer: U.S. agency - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Chromium in drinking water causes cancer: U.S. agency
Wed May 16, 2007 8:20PM EDT

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A type of chromium highlighted in the film
"Erin Brockovich" causes cancer in lab animals when they drink it in
water, and it could be harmful to people, the U.S. National Institutes
of Health said on Wednesday.

Hexavalent chromium, also called chromium 6, already has been shown
to cause lung cancer when inhaled and is controlled by the Environmental
Protection Agency as well as by states.

-snip-

Environmentalists, who have been fighting for decades for tighter limits
on how much chromium can be present in drinking water, said the findings
offered a basis for such restrictions.

High doses of chromium 6 given to rats and mice in drinking water caused
malignant tumors, the two-year study by the NIH's National Toxicology
Program or NTP found.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1625458820070517