Chromium

Chromium occurs naturally in the environment as chrome iron ore, or chromite.  It is rarely found naturally in water, yet widely distributed in soils and plants.  Chromium in this form is an important contributor to human health.

Chromium can also exist in a toxic state as hexavalent chromium, which is associated with industrial waste.

Chromium is used in metal alloys including stainless steel, protective coatings on metal, magnetic tapes and pigments for paints, cement, paper, rubber and other materials.

Chromium is also used for numerous industrial purposes, including as a component of wood preservatives and in photochemical processing and industrial water treatment.

For medicinal purposes, chromium compounds are used in astringents and antiseptics.

Hexavalent chromium exposure at acute levels can potentially cause skin irritation or ulceration.  Long-term exposure to hexavalent chromium can lead to liver damage, kidney damage, as well as damage to the nerve tissues.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) determined that there is no evidence that lifetime exposure to chromium in drinking water has the potential to cause cancer.

The migration of chromium to ground water is unlikely.

According to the Toxics Release Inventory, chromium compound releases to land and water totaled close to 200 million pounds, with 99 percent released to land, during the period 1987 to 1993.  These releases were primarily from industrial organic chemical industries.

The Toxics Release Inventory determined that the states with the most significant releases of chromium to water and land during 1987 to 1993 were Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, Utah, Arizona, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Idaho.

The chemical manufacturing industry and the combustion of natural gas, oil and coal are the largest sources of chromium omission in the atmosphere.

Hexavalent chromium has been successfully eliminated from entering the environment as a result of past and current National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) industrial discharge limits.

The current maximum contaminant level for chromium is 100 parts per billion (ppb).

Chromium contamination can be treated through coagulation/filtration, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, or in some cases lime softening.

The most recent test, at a lower detection limit of 1 part per billion (ppb), indicates that arsenic/chromium is at or below 1 ppb in our treated water.  Past testing, at the higher detection limit of 10 ppb, indicated that chromium was not present.