Probable Carcinogen Found In Drinking Water Of 31 U.s. Cities

Last week, the first of several news stories emerged about contamination in our drinking water supply.  In the Washington Post,writer Lindsey Layton reported that The Environmental Working Group found the presence of hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen, in the drinking water of 31 U.S. cities (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/18/AR2010121802810.html).  The Environmental Working Group undertook an analysis of 35 cities across the United States, including Bethesda and Washington, D.C.  This compound was a commonly used industrial chemical until the early 1990s.  It is still used in some industries, such as in chrome plating and manufacturing plastics and dyes.  The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores. The highest level of the chemical was found in Norman, Oklahoma.  Hexavalent chromium has long been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, and it has been linked in animals to liver and kidney damage as well as leukemia, stomach cancer, and other cancers. Hexavalent chromium doesn’t sound like anything I’d want in my drinking water, and believe, me, it is not something you want in your body. The Kinetico K5 Drinking Water System is certified to remove this chemical, along with other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), chlorine, chloramines, and other tastes, odors, and colors.  For more information on how you can get the purest, best-tasting water in your home, please contact us at www.deanzawater.com or call us at 408.371.5521.