Protection from Unregulated Contaminants

 

Hexavalent Chromium

If you’ve seen Erin Brockovich, you may have heard of hexavalent chromium, which at certain levels, poses serious health risks. Currently, this contaminant has no enforceable legal limit, which means it is not required to be addressed if found in drinking water. The scope of the issue is vast: hexavalent chromium has been detected in California drinking water sources in 53 of 58 counties.

This year, the State Water Board released a draft legal limit for hexavalent chromium at 10 μg/L, 500 times the Public Health Goal of 0.02 μg/L. The State Board must do better to provide protection for the California public. We will continue to advocate for the most health-protective standard possible.

  • Hexavalent chromium occurs naturally in the environment from the erosion of natural chromium deposits. It has also been used historically in the chrome plating of metals, as an ingredient in dyes and pigments, in the leather tanning process, and as a wood preservative. This contaminant enters drinking water sources through leakage, poor storage, or inadequate industrial waste disposal practices of chromium-containing materials.

  • The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) identified long-term drinking water exposure can lead to stomach and gastrointestinal cancer, reproductive effects, and damage to liver and kidneys.

 

PFAS

It’s estimated that PFAS can be found in the bodies of 98% of Americans — that’s right, almost every person in the US. According to a recent study by California’s Division of Drinking Water and the Natural Resources Defense Council, almost two-thirds of the public water systems in California tested contained PFAS. These systems service more than 16 million people across the state.

Community Water Center worked with Natural Resources Defense Council to provide free well testing for the prevalence of PFAS in 2022 and is partnering with the Water Equity and Science Shop (WESS) at U.C. Berkeley to test more wells in 2024.

We will continue to advocate for more data on PFAS contamination in drinking water in California’s rural communities, using this information to urge the state to set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for PFAS.

  • Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (better known as PFAS) are a group of thousands of chemicals used in the creation of many everyday products, often unnecessarily. Due to their widespread use and resistance to breaking down, these chemicals have contaminated the air, soil, water, plants, wildlife—even our own bodies.

  • PFAS may be found in the drinking water because of local contamination events including the use of certain water-resistant products, firefighting foams or leaching from landfills.

  • These chemicals are linked to a variety of health problems, among them cancer, kidney and liver damage, immune system disruption and developmental issues.

 

Recent Media

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State unveils long-awaited standard for drinking water contaminant
State unveils long-awaited standard for drinking water contaminant