Chromium Data Spur Upwelling of Concern About Safety

Concern about chromium 6 contamination of drinking water is helping spark consumer interest in bottled water and home filtration systems, according to company officials and others, even though public health authorities insist that tap water is safe.

Salespeople pushing filtration systems are now a common sight at public meetings where chromium 6 is being discussed, and the city of Burbank has put out fact sheets for residents on treatment systems and bottled water.

Yosemite Water Co. says it has added another distribution route in the San Fernando Valley because of new demand, bringing its total to 35. And companies that sell home filtration and treatment systems say they are getting more inquiries, although not necessarily more sales.

“There is definitely more awareness out there,” said Dean Thompson, general manager of Culligan Water Conditioning in Sun Valley, who said he now gets about five calls a day from people wanting to know which system will reduce chromium 6.

Gina Solomon, a drinking water specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco, said she has gotten several calls from the Los Angeles area about what can be done to ensure water safety.

Much of the interest is focused in the east San Fernando Valley, where decades of heavy industrial production have resulted in contamination of well water with chromium 6, a toxic byproduct of chromium used in metal plating and other processes.

Chromium 6 is considered a carcinogen when inhaled, but scientists are still debating the threat it poses when consumed in tap water.

Still, the state is considering tough new standards to limit chromium 6, and some of the water pumped to homes now may exceed future standards.

Consumers who don’t trust their tap water have basically two choices--installing a filtration system or buying bottled water.

‘We Got Spooked,’ One Woman Says

Laura and Jeff Snow of Burbank are among those who have chosen a filtration system.

Although the state Department of Health Services insists that tap water is safe, the agency is considering imposing, for the first time, a standard for chromium 6. It is also looking at toughening the current standard for total chromium to ensure optimum public safety.

The Snows don’t want to take the chance that the water they are drinking now may later be found to be unsafe. They spent $1,245 for a water system last month.

“We got spooked,” Laura Snow said.

Before buying a water filtration system, said Erik Olson, a Natural Resources Defense Council drinking-water specialist in Washington, D.C., consumers should know what contaminants they want removed from their water and make sure their system is certified to remove them.

Reverse osmosis, the most common household treatment process, can reduce chromium 6 to less than 1 part per billion, said Dr. David Spath, drinking water chief for the state health department.

With reverse osmosis, tap water is pushed through a membrane filter at high pressure so most of the minerals are removed. The effectiveness depends on the filter quality and condition, experts say, and how dirty the water is.

Spath said the state has certified 75 reverse osmosis systems for their ability to remove chromium 6. Dealers say the systems range in price from $200 to more than $1,000.

Distillation also can be used to remove chromium 6, according to NSF International, a not-for-profit group (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation) that certifies drinking water treatment products.

Distillation involves turning water into steam--essentially removing all contaminants. But the systems are not popular for home use, according to water treatment companies, because the process takes out the minerals that give water its taste.

Experts warn that inexpensive carbon filter systems--including the kind sold with filtered water pitchers--do not affect chromium 6.

Bottled-Water Rules Change in January

Solomon does not recommend bottled water, citing a recent study that said tap water standards are often higher than those regulating the bottled water industry.

Bottled water delivered in California, for example, is required to meet only the federal bottled water standard of 100 ppb of total chromium, not the tougher state standard of 50 ppb of total chromium for drinking water.

That will change Jan. 1, when the state will require all bottled water to meet tap water standards.

The state health department conducted a survey of bottled water and found “non-detectable” total chromium levels in all but eight of the 164 types sold in California.

The highest level was found in Acqua e Terme di Uliveto, an imported Italian water, which had 5 ppb of total chromium.

That meets the current standard, but would exceed the 2.5 ppb of total chromium recommended as a public health goal by the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment last year. That recommendation is under study by the state health department.

Chromium Levels in Tap Water Vary

Chromium and chromium 6 levels in tap water vary widely. A study by Los Angeles County found levels of chromium 6 as high as 8 ppb in some public buildings. The optimum public health standard for chromium 6, according to the hazard assessment office, would be 0.2 ppb.

Filtered water sold at vending machines and through water stores is essentially treated tap water and is required to meet the same standards as bottled water.

John Lee, general manager of the 21 Wateria stores in Los Angeles, said the company has begun testing its filtered drinking water for chromium 6, expecting to use the test results to attract new customers. The company has not yet received the results, he said.

At Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems in Chatsworth, Will Endara, who is in charge of Latino customer development, said he is disappointed he doesn’t have a product specifically for chromium 6 removal.

“I wish we were certified for chromium,” he said, “because we’d be doing great business.”

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Ways to Reduce Chromium 6 in Drinking Water

State health officials say two kinds of water filtration systems reduce chromium 6 in tap water: reverse osmosis and distillation.

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HOME FILTERING SYSTEMS

Reverse osmosis: These systems use a membrane to filter out impurities. Effectiveness varies, but some systems can reduce chromium 6 to below 1 part per billion.

Distillation: These systems remove all chromium 6 and other impurities by boiling the water and collecting the distilled vapor. Because minerals are removed, taste suffers and these systems are not widely popular.

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WHAT DOESN’T WORK

Charcoal filtering: These systems are used in a range of products, from under-the-sink units to filtered water pitchers. They remove many contaminants, but not chromium 6.

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BOTTLED WATER

State health officials regulate all bottled water sold in California and water vending machines. Both sources must meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards of 100 parts per billion for total chromium. State officials, however, will tighten the standard to 50 parts per billion, beginning Jan. 1.

Source: State Department of Health Services, NSF International (formerly National Sanitation Foundation).