![]() Among the new recommendations are collecting and testing samples at more points throughout the water distribution systems as well as more frequent testing. In response to what the agency calls "emerging public health information," the EPA has made a number of updated recommendations for water systems to follow. The movie drew attention to the potential dangers of hexavalent chromium, and scientists at the Environmental Working Group say previous research found the chemical can cause cancer, and that its presence in drinking water is much more widespread than originally believed.Ĭurrently, the EPA only requires water systems to test for the presence of total chromium, which includes chromium-6. The Environmental Working Group tested tap water in 35 cities and found hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, in 31 of the cities.Ĭhromium-6 was the same chemical that had seeped into the groundwater of Hinkley, Calif., where Erin Brockovich waged her fight, and whose residents were awarded a $333 million settlement from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Environmental Protection Agency issued new recommendations for monitoring the potentially hazardous chemical.Ĭhromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, is the chemical made famous by the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich." It was back in the news last month after an environmental organization released a report indicating that the chemical has contaminated drinking water in more than 30 cities. 12, 2011 - Several weeks after promising to address the issue of chromium-6 levels in drinking water, the U.S. ‡MCL (maximum contaminant level) enforceable level for drinking water.Jan. †PEL (permissible exposure limit): highest level of chromium in air, to which a worker may be exposed, averaged over an 8-hour workday. *TWA (time-weighted average): TWA concentration for a normal workday and a 40-hour workweek to which nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed. Regulation current MCL‡ for total chromium PEL for chromium metal and insoluble compounds (8-hour TWA)Ĭhromium is listed as a hazardous pollutant PEL for Cr(II) and Cr(III) compounds (8-hour TWA) Regulation PEL† for chromic acid and chromates, (8-hour TWA) Occupational Safety and Health Administration National Institute for Occupational Safety and HealthĪdvisory TWA (10-hour) for chromic acid and all Cr(VI) compoundsĪdvisory TWA (10-hour) for chromium metal and Cr(II) and Cr(III) compounds TWA for chromium metal and Cr(III) compounds Regulations and Guidelines for Chromium AgencyĪmerican Conference of Governmental Industrial HygienistsĪdvisory TWA* to avoid carcinogenic risk from insoluble Cr(VI) compounds On the basis of current evidence, NIOSH considers all Cr(VI) compounds potential occupational carcinogens. For chromium metal and Cr (II) and Cr(III) compounds, the recommended exposure limit is 500 µg/m³ as an 10-hour TWA. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended a 10-hour TWA exposure limit for all Cr(VI) compounds of 1 µg Cr(VI)/m³. For chromium metal and for insoluble compounds, the PEL is 1,000 µg Cr/m³. įor Cr(II) and Cr(III) compounds, the PEL is an 8-hour TWA of 500 µg Cr/m³. start-up dates that include four years for the implementation of engineering controls to meet the PEL.preferred exposure control methods, including a compliance alternative for a small sector for which the new PEL is infeasible,.requirements for exposure determination,.The final rule also contains ancillary provisions for worker protection such as The record also indicates that occupational exposure to Cr(VI) may result in asthma and damage to the nasal epithelia and skin. The evidence in the record for this rulemaking indicates that workers exposed to Cr(VI) are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer. OSHA’s standard is based upon the best evidence currently available that at the previous PEL for Cr(VI), workers face a significant risk to material impairment of their health. This is a considerable reduction from the previous permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 52 µg/m³. ![]() The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) exposure limit of 5 micrograms of Cr(VI) per cubic meter of air (5 µg/m³).
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