Federal Standard for Chromium 6 Sought

Saying the federal government isn’t doing enough to ensure that drinking water is safe, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Wednesday introduced a bill calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a separate federal standard for chromium 6.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), would require the EPA to set a chromium 6 limit based on recommendations by the National Academy of Sciences.

The bill was prompted by the lack of a federal standard for chromium 6, said Boxer, who added that the legislation is also designed to settle the scientific debate over the threat posed by the chemical.

Chromium 6, used in paint pigments and as a rust inhibitor, is a known carcinogen when inhaled as a vapor. But experts disagree over what amount is safe when it is ingested in water.

Boxer also criticized the EPA, saying the agency has not taken aggressive steps to address the issue despite increasing evidence of chromium 6 contamination in drinking water supplies, including well water in Los Angeles and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.