Chromium in our water? The EPA isn't worried, but should we be?
By: Domino Cochrane
March 30, 2023
Chromium-6, a known carcinogenic metal, has been found in drinking water in every U.S state and there has been no effort to remove it due to loose regulations from the EPA.
Chromium-6 is a metallic element that is commonly used in industrial processes as an anti-corrosive. As a result of poor disposal by these large industrial plants, it has ended up in our water. California, for example, has had its own fair share of troubles with Chromium-6 in their drinking water.
A small town in California was poisoned by this element due to PG&E dumping 370 million gallons of chromium-contaminated wastewater around the area. Due to this incident, the California EPA has put a lot of work into researching the danger and risks of this chemical. All this time and research resulted in the California EPA determined a safe amount of chromium to have in drinking water would be 0.02ppb (parts per billion). This amount would result almost zero cases of cancer for an entire generation. Despite this, the U.S EPA only considers dermatologic, or skin-related, affects of chromium in water and has determined that a safe level is 30ppb. This is 1,500 times the safe amount determined by the CA EPA.
Not everyone has heard of this element before and may not know of its presence. I asked Daniel Echeverry, a Northeast Philadelphia resident, how safe he feels Philadelphia’s water is prior to knowing about chromium-6.
“Well, I wasn’t too aware of what was going on but I always knew that people were doubting the safety of the water within our county.” He said, “So honestly, I’ve been a bit naive and just trusted it. What am I going to do? Not drink it, not use it?”
After explaining what chromium-6 is, its dangers, and how much is actually found in Philadelphia water, I asked if this changes his thoughts on the water quality.
“It does put me on edge, and it makes me question why did it ever get so high? And what are they (EPA) currently doing to try to stop it.”
I explained that the EPA has done very little to acknowledge the real dangers of Chromium-6 and that is why it is found in such unsafe quantities across the country.
“Just because it’s within the regulations doesn’t mean it has to be that high. It is their duty to make sure that the water their citizens are drinking should be as clean and as safe as it could possibly be.”
When asked about the quality of Philadelphia’s water prior to knowing about Chromium-6, Brady Degrands, a West Philadelphia resident, talked about his confidence in the water for both him and his family.
“I feel like Philadelphia has moderately safe water, it never really tastes weird. All water’s got some sort of minerals in it, but those are good for you. That’s what I give my dogs, you know, the minerals are good for them.”
Kieran McIntire, a resident in South Philadelphia, shared how they feel about the water quality and what they do to feel safer about the water they drink.
“To my knowledge, I feel like the water is pretty safe. I filter my water, so any toxins or anything are right out.”
They spoke about the frustration they feel knowing that a lot of the Chromium-6 that is found in our water comes as a result of large industrial plants and factories being irresponsible, with no fear of consequences.
“You’d think that they’d try and find a common ground to agree on, like how safe their citizens should be.”