1.12.2011 10:28 AM

EPA: Local Water Supplies Should Test for New Toxic Chemical

After a group's tests found hexavalent chromium – the Erin Brockovich chemical – in many U.S. drinking water supplies, the EPA is recommending all municipal water supplies test for the toxic chemical.

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Photo: Robert Chatterson / Istock

By Dan Shapley

After independent testing by the Environmental Working Group showed hexavalent chromium – also called chromium-6, and made famous by the Erin Brockovich case and movie – in 31 of 35 U.S. cities' drinking water supplies, the Environmental Protection Agency is recommending that U.S. water suppliers test for the contaminant.

While public water supplies are tested for a variety of contaminants, outside of California, most U.S. water supplies don't test specifically for chromium-6 (but instead test for total chromium, which includes the possibly toxic chromium-6). The health effects of drinking small amounts of the chemical are in dispute, with independent groups raising concerns, including cancer, that go above and beyond what the government, or certainly industry, has endorsed. The EPA will release a new health assessment for the chemical this year.

About 70% of U.S. residents get municipal water piped to the house, rather than drawn from a private well. To learn about what's in your water, start by calling your local water department or visiting water.epa.gov/drink/local to learn where your water comes from, how it is treated, and what contaminants have been documented in it. If you have a private well, the only way to know what's in the water, in most cases, is to pay to have it tested yourself, but be aware that many commercial water testers don't have the equipment to test for it, according to the Environmental Working Group.

For more information, see Environmental Working Group's answers to 6 common questions about hexavalent chromium (including how to filter it out of your water), and the EPA's FAQ.

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