PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Tell the EPA: Get Cancer-Causing Chromium Out of Our Drinking Water
  1. Signatures
    448 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. Acting Director, Drinking Water Protection Division (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Acting Director, Drinking Water Protection Division (Ann Codrington)
      • Chief, Protection Branch, Drinking Water (Ron Bergman)
      • Acting Chief, Prevention Branch, Drinking Water (Suzanne Kelly)
  2. Created By
    Brie Cadman
    Charlottesville, VA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Hexavalent chromium, also called chromium-6, is considered to be a “probable carcinogen” by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health. But a recent report by the Environmental Working Group found that chromium-6 is widespread in our nation’s tap water. Of the 35 cities it tested, EWG found water from 31 cities contained the metal.   

Despite the known risks of chromium-6, there are no set legal limits in our water. The EPA currently tests for “total chromium,” which measures both trivalent chromium, which is necessary for metabolism, and chromium-6. But the report found that in the water samples, most chromium was in the hexavalent form.

There’s no reason not to test our water supply for a cancer-causing substance that millions of people are currently exposed to. Tell the EPA to move rapidly to establish a legal limit for hexavalent chromium in our tap water and require utilities to test specifically for it.  

Recent Signatures

Set Legal Limits for Hexavalent Chromium in Tap Water

Greetings,

The Environmental Working Group recently issued a report that found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of the 35 cities it tested. Currently, there are no legally enforceable limits for the metal in our tap water. Only one state, California, has proposed testing for chromium-6, which the National Institute of Health has determined to be a probable carcinogen.

Testing for “total chromium” isn’t enough. The EWG report found that the majority of the chromium was in the hexavalent form, exposing millions of people to a carcinogenic substance.

We ask that the EPA set a legally enforceable limit on hexavalent chromium in our water, one that should be at least as strong as California’s proposed 0.06 parts per billion, and require water utilities to test for it.

[Your name]

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