Column - Adam Schiff

Adam Schiff

Two months ago, the Los Angeles Times reported that a suspected

cancer-causing chemical called chromium 6 had been detected in ground

water wells in the San Fernando Valley. The disclosure raised serious

public health concerns because municipal water agencies pump out the

ground water, treat it and blend it with our drinking water.

Chromium is used in industrial manufacturing, and its toxic version,

chromium 6, was at the center of the movie “Erin Brockovich” focusing on

a legal investigator uncovering the causes of illnesses that had stricken

many people in a California town.

Of course, prior to the release of the movie, regulators had

increasingly focused on the dangers of chromium 6 to the public health.

California has historically been more protective of the quality of our

water supply, currently permitting a maximum of 50 parts per billion of

chromium in drinking water, a standard far tougher than the federal

maximum of 100 parts per billion.

After an exhaustive review of the scientific research and evidence,

the state agency responsible for evaluating the health hazards of

contaminants last year formally proposed that the limit for chromium in

drinking water be lowered to 2.5 parts per billion. However, the state

Department of Health Services, which is charged with imposing new

standards, estimated that it would take five years to evaluate the

proposal for tougher limits for chromium.

When it comes to protecting our health and ensuring the safety of our

drinking water, waiting five years for new standards is simply

unacceptable. With the Legislature in the busy final weeks of its

session, I immediately authored legislation calling on the state

Department of Health Services to assess the public health threat of

chromium 6 and report its findings to the Legislature and governor on an

accelerated time schedule.

Governor Davis recently signed my bill, Senate Bill 2127, into law. I am pleased to report that the Department of Health Services, following

the introduction of the legislation, announced that it would speed up the

process of requiring local water suppliers statewide to begin testing for

the presence of chromium 6. This new law will prompt government agencies

to expeditiously and responsibly address the issue of this suspected

carcinogen in our drinking water.

Since the passage of my legislation, I have continued my efforts to

ensure the public is protected. Government agencies, and, indeed, all

elected officials charged with representing our communities, have no more

fundamental an obligation than toensure our drinking water is safe,

particularly in light of official tests showing the presence of chromium

6 in tap water at locations across Los Angeles County.

While the scientific record is conclusive that chromium 6 can cause

cancer when inhaled, there is some debate with regard to its health

effects when ingested in drinking water. To heartestimony from the

leading public health experts and cancer researchers regarding the state

standards and health effects, Ihave helped organize a joint legislative

hearing to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 24 at Burbank

City Hall, 275 E. Olive Ave. Legislators from the Senate Committees

onHealth and Human Services, Natural Resources and Wildlife and the

Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials will

convene for the hearing, which is open to the public.

Expert panels will testify with regard to four main areas: chromium 6

and its human health implications, research findingsand unanswered

questions; chromium and the adequacy and enforcement of California’s

drinking water standards and the extent and distribution of chromium and

chromium 6 contamination in California; the San Fernando Valley water

supply and the potential costs and options for providing uncontaminated

water; and, finally, the public policy options for decision-makers.

As your elected representative, I intend to swiftly and thoroughly

gather all the facts as to the health threat posed by chromium 6 in

drinking water, and determine the most prudent way for California to

proceed in protecting the public health. As a Burbank homeowner, husband

and the proud father of a 2-year old girl, I feel a profound and personal

sense of responsibility to our community to ensure that our water is safe

to drink.

* ADAM SCHIFF represents the 21st state Senate District, which

includes Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and the surrounding communities. He

is a candidate running for the 27th Congressional District seat. He can

be reached at (626) 683-0282 or via e-mail at senator.schiff@sen.ca.gov.