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Page 1 of 2 <br /> Chromium <br /> JArCALJ_EQRN1A-WATFR LAQ� <br /> - `;iya 1�+oovr neer �" <br /> Chromium November 2000 <br /> AMA's 11117/00 Regulatory Advisory on Chromium <br /> ACWA's 10/24100 Chromium Testimon _ <br /> November 2000 Fact Sheet <br /> Background <br /> Chromium is an inorganic chemical that is used in many industrial processes including <br /> —_ ---a+r-­tment, pigments manufacture and cooling tower treatment for corrosion <br /> lVb - ium is also a naturally occurring element. In fact, chromium is the I Ith <br /> 6,01 Uu /L14,_ i the earth's crust. <br /> F ecies of chromium are chromium I11, an essential dietary nutrient, and <br /> r p� p <br /> z be toxic. Chromium VI can constitute anywhere from 7% to 80% of the <br /> .drinking water supplies. There is evidence that when chromium VI enters <br /> Is may reduce it to chromium III,the dietary nutrient. <br /> Conversely, it has been reported that when chromium 111, the dietary nutrient, enters a disinfecting <br /> ,. treatment plant, it could be oxidized to chromium VI,the potential toxin. However,recent sampling <br /> at a Southern California water system found no change in chromium species following disinfection. <br /> There is a lot of debate about the dangers of chromium VI when it is ingested. It is a known fact <br /> that when some forms of chromium VI are inhaled,they can cause cancer. However, because of the <br /> possible changes to chromium VI in the stomach when it is ingested,there is currently no <br /> agreement about its toxicity in drinking water. In fact, U.S. EPA firmly believes chromium VI does <br /> not cause cancer when ingested and, in response,raised its chromium drinking water standard back <br /> in 1991. <br /> Drinking Water Standards <br /> There is currently no proposed or existing drinking water standard for chromium VI. There are, <br /> however, federal and state standards for total chromium in drinking water. The California standard <br /> is 50 parts per billion (ppb), half of the federal standard which is 100 ppb. The California Office of <br /> Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has published a Public Health Goal (PHG) for total <br /> chromium at 2.5 ppb. <br /> A PHG is a health risk assessment, not a proposed drinking water standard. The PHG is just one <br /> factor considered in the setting of a drinking water standard. The California Department of Health <br /> Services (DHS) is the agency charged with setting drinking water standards and it also considers <br /> analytical capabilities, treatment feasibility, and cost. <br /> DHS is currently-considering setting a standard specific to chromium Vl. Beginning in late 1999, <br /> many water systems began sampling for chromium VI and DHS is now in the process of requiring <br /> this sampling for all vulnerable systems. <br /> _http://www.acwanet.com/waterfacts/chromium.html 11/22/00 <br />