Re: [CPEO-MEF] CHROMIUM: Norman, Oklahoma and Tinker Air Force Base

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Senators ask EPA to set chromium 6 standard

By NOAKI SCHWARTZ
The Associated Press/Washington Post
December 22, 2010

LOS ANGELES -- U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have called 
on the Environmental Protection Agency to protect the public from 
hexavalent chromium following a report that found the carcinogen in the 
tap water of 31 cities across the country.

In a letter obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, Boxer, who chairs 
the Senate environment and public works committee, said she plans to 
introduce legislation with California colleague Feinstein that would set 
a deadline for the EPA to establish an enforceable standard for the 
chemical also known as chromium 6. The committee will also hold a 
hearing on the issue in February.

The letter was sent after the release of a study by the Environmental 
Working Group that analyzed drinking water in 35 cities across the 
country. The five cities with the highest levels of chromium 6 were 
Norman, Okla.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Riverside, Calif.; Madison, Wis.; and 
San Jose, Calif.

The chemical is commonly discharged from steel and pulp mills, 
metal-plating plants and leather-tanning facilities, the group said in 
the report.

"There are no enforceable federal standards to protect the public from 
hexavalent chromium in tap water," read the letter to EPA chief Lisa 
Jackson.

The EPA currently tests for total chromium levels but the letter said 
the tests do not show precise amounts of chromium 6. In addition, the 
agency's chromium standard is outdated because it was set nearly two 
decades ago, the letter said.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122105302.html


Lenny Siegel wrote:
> [It's not clear from this article if anyone has evaluated whether Tinker 
> Air Force Base is a possible source of Norman's high levels of 
> hexavalent chromium, but it is mentioned. - LS]
>
>
> EPA to help cities with water issues
>
> By Andy Rieger
> Norman Transcript (OK)
> December 23, 2010
>
> NORMAN - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday it 
> soon will issue guidance to all public water systems on how to test for 
> and sample drinking water specifically for hexavalent chromium, also 
> known as chromium-6.
>
> The announcement by EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson follows Monday's 
> release of a study showing traces of the potential carcinogen in 31 of 
> 35 city water systems tested. Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal said the city 
> will pursue its own investigation on the source of chromium-6.
>
> "The city of Norman looks forward to and welcomes the EPA's research 
> efforts and technical assistance with respect to monitoring and testing. 
> Meanwhile, we remain vigilant and will continue to pursue our own 
> independent analysis of the particular source of chromium-6 in our 
> area," she said.
>
> ...
>
> Hexavalent chromium has been cited in the Oklahoma Department of 
> Environmental Quality's Tinker Air Force Base Superfund Site history and 
> background report. The cleanup site is in the northeast portion of 
> Tinker where much rebuilding and refurbishing of aircraft took place.
>
> ...
>
> For the entire article, see
> http://normantranscript.com/headlines/x1473650941/EPA-likely-will-put-limits-on-chromium-6-in-drinking-water 


--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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