25. Hexavalent Chromium: Its Effects on Human Health and The Environment

Rachel Coyte is a PhD student at Duke University who is the leading author of the last two papers on the occurrence of hexavalent chromium and other contaminants in groundwater in NC. Rachel and Dr. Avner Vengosh have been researching and working on testing wells in NC for Hexavalent Chromium.

Hexavalent chromium is a carcinogen made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich and is far more abundant in drinking water wells in North Carolina than previously thought, a new Duke University study finds.

“About 90 percent of the wells we sampled had detectable levels of hexavalent chromium, and in many cases the contamination is well above recommended levels for safe drinking water. But our analysis clearly shows it is derived from natural sources”

The current drinking water standard for chromium in the United States is 100 parts per billion. This is based on an assumption that most chromium contained in drinking water is composed of a less toxic form known as trivalent chromium. Only California has set a statewide standard of 10 parts per billion for the much more toxic hexavalent form.

The bottom line is that we need to protect the health of North Carolinians from the naturally occurring threat of hexavalent chromium, while also protecting them from harmful contaminants such as arsenic and selenium, which our previous research has shown do derive from leaking coal ash ponds.

With Rachel we talk about the effects of Hexavalent Chromium, where it’s found, if it’s man made or naturally occurring, if it can be filtered, and how people can protect themselves. 

Contact and connect with Rachel: [email protected]

Rachel’s articles on Hex Chrome: https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/hexavalent-chromium-widespread-nc-wells-not-linked-coal-ash

https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/avnervengosh/hexavalent-chromium-in-north-carolina/

Geogenic contaminants: https://www.eawag.ch/en/department/sandec/projects/wst/geogenic-contamination/ https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-81-322-3745-7_8

NC health standards: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/planning/classification-standards/surface-water-standards

https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-resources-regulations

Well water testing: https://ehs.ncpublichealth.com/oswp/wells-resources.htm

https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oee/wellwater/howtotest.html

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