Cancer Causing Chemical Found in Tap Water of 31 US Cities

It might be time to start investing in various spring water companies after a report today confirmed the contamination of water in various cities across the United States.

Hexavent chromium is a probably carcinogen that made its big screen debut in the movie Erin Brokavich. The movie was based on constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993 for allegedly having contaminated the water of a southern California town with hexavent chromium, which supposedly led to an increase of cancer diagnoses in that area at that time.

A company called the Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted the study, which is the “first nationwide analysis of hexavalent chromium in drinking water to be made public.” The chemical has previously been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, but researchers have more recently discovered that the chemical also causes cancer in laboratory animals when ingested.

CNN has posted a list of the cities that have been found to have contaminated water, and the EWG has provided a graph illustrating the severity of the contamination across the United States.

Around the Web

Report: Harmful chemical found in tap water of 31 U.S. cities [CNN]

Chromium-6 Is Widespread in US Tap Water [EWG]

Probable carcinogen hexavalent chromium found in drinking water of 31 U.S. cities [Washington Post]