At Least 138 N.J. Towns Have Drinking Water Toxin Made Famous By Erin Brockovich: Study

At least 138 N.J. communities have the cancer-causing toxin in their drinking water that was made famous in the 2000 Julia Roberts movie "Erin Brockovich," according to a new study published Tuesday by the Environmental Working Group (see list below).

UPDATE: Chromium-6 In New Jersey Water: What Is The Real Risk?

Although the water provided by local agencies does not exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's maximum of 100 parts per billion of total chromium, all have sites that exceed 0.02 parts per billion, a level that California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment set as a public health goal in 2011, the study explains.

That level "would pose negligible risk over a lifetime of consumption," according to the study. (see EPA response below).

Chromium-6 can cause cancer, reproductive problems and liver damage even from little exposure, the report explains.

California's public health goal was set after Brockovich was nearly successful in building a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993 that blamed the company for contaminating local water. The actual legal cap in California is 10 parts per billion.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, analyzed federal data from nationwide drinking water tests showing that the compound contaminates water supplies for more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states.

"Yet federal regulations are stalled by a chemical industry challenge that could mean no national regulation of a chemical state scientists in California and elsewhere say causes cancer when ingested at even extraordinarily low levels," according to the report.

The Environmental Working Group estimates that if left untreated, Chromium-6 in tap water will cause more than 12,000 excess cases of cancer by the end of the century.

Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, issued a statement, noting New Jersey utilizes the EPA’s standard for total chromium (see full EPA statement below).

"No New Jersey water supplies have exceeded this level," he said. "New Jersey is participating in the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s collection of testing data for hexavalent chromium."

Here is the list of towns, and water commissions and countywide agencies, that have sites that exceed the report's acceptable level of Chromium-6 in tap water (0.02 parts per billion): (A full map with testing averages and further information can be found here.)

• Atlantic City MUA
• Atlantic County - NJ American Water Co. (including Northfield and Pleasantville)
• Barnegat Township Water & Sewer
• Bayonne MUA
• Beach Haven Water Department
• Beachwood Water Department
• Belleville Water Department
• Bergen County - United Water NJ
• Berlin Water Department
• Boonton Water Department
• Bordentown Water Department
• Brick Township MUA
• Bridgeton City Water Department
• Brigantine Water Department
• Burlington County - JBMDL - Dix Main System
• Burlington Township Water Department
• Camden City Department of Public Works
• Cape May Water & Sewer Utility
• Cedar Grove Water Department
• Collingswood Water Department
• Denville Water Department
• Depftord Water Department
• Dover Water Commission
• East Brunswick Water Utility
• East Hanover Township Water Department
• East Orange Water Commission
• East Windsor MUA
• Edison Water Co. c/o NJ American Water
• Egg Harbor City Water Department
• Elmwood Park Water Department
• Elmwood Park Water Department
• Evesham MUA
• Fair Lawn Water Department
• Florence Twp. Water Dept.
• Freehold Borough Water Department
• Freehold Township Water Department
• Garfield Water Department
• Glassboro Water Department
• Gloucester City Water Department
• Gloucester Township (Blackwood) - Aqua NJ
• Hackettstown MUA
• Haddon Township Water Department
• Hamilton Square - Aqua NJ
• Hammonton Water Department
• Highland Park
• Hoboken Water Services
• Jackson Township
• Jersey City MUA
• Keansburg Water & Sewer Department
• Kearny Water Department
• Lacey Township MUA
• Lakewood Township MUA
• Lavallette Water Department
• Liberty - NJ American Water Co.
• Little Egg Harbor Township MUA
• Little Falls (NJ American Water Co.)
• Livingston Township Division of Water
• Lodi Water Department
• Long Beach Township Brant Beach
• Lyndhurst Water Department
• Madison Water Department
• Mahwah Water Department
• Manasquan - NJ Water Supply Authority
• Manasquan Water
• Manchester Township Div. of Utilities - Western (Ocean County)
• Manchester Township Water Utility (Ocean County)
• Manchester Utilities Authority (Passaic County)
• Maple Shade Water Department
• Marlboro MUA Merchantville
• Pennsauken Water Department
• Middlesex Water Company
• Millville Water Department
• Monmouth County - Gordon's Corner Water
• Monmouth County - NJ American Water Co. - Coastal
• North Monroe Township MUA
• Monroe Township Utility Department
• Montclair Water Bureau
• Montville MUA
• Moorestown Water Department
• Morris County (Southeast) MUA
• Mount Holly - NJ American Water Co.
• Mount Laurel Township MUA
• New Brunswick Water Department
• Newark Water Department
• North Arlington - PVWC
• North Brunswick Water Department
• Nutley Water Department
• Ocean City - NJ American Water Co.
• Ocean Township MUA Pebble Beach (Ocean County)
• Old Bridge MUA
• Orange Water Department
• Park Ridge Water Department
• Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department
• Passaic Valley Water Commission
• Penns Grove - NJ American Water Co.
• Pennsville Township Water Department
• Pequannock Water Department
• Perth Amboy Water Department
• Phillipsburg - Aqua NJ
• Point Pleasant Beach Water
• Point Pleasant Water Department
• Pompton Lakes MUA
• Ramsey Water Department
• Randolph Township Public Works Dept.
• Raritan - NJ American Water Co.
• Red Bank Water Department
• Ridgewood Water
• Ringwood Water Department
• Rockaway Water Department
• Roxbury Water Commission
• Saddle Brook Water Department
• Sayreville Water Department
• Seaside Heights Water Department
• Seaside Park Water Department
• Ship Bottom Water Department
• Short Hills - NJ American Water Co.
• South Brusnwick Water Division
• South Orange Water Department
• South River Water Department
• Sparta Township Water Utility - Lake Mohawk
• Spring Lake Water Department
• Stafford Township Water - Beach Haven West
• The Oaks of Weymouth Water Co.
• Toms River - United Water Totowa Water Department
• Trenton Waterworks United Water - Matchaponix
• Verona Water Department
• Vineland Water & Sewer Utility
• Wall Township Water Department
• Wallington Water Department
• Wanaque Water Department
• Washington TWP MUA (Gloucester)
• Wayne Division of Water
• West Caldwell Water Department
• West Deptford Water Department
• Wildwood City Water Department
• Willingboro MUA Winslow Twp DMU
• Woodbury Water Department

Read the full report at the Environmental Working Group website here.

EPA STATEMENT ON CHROMIUM IN DRINKING WATER

Ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans is a top priority for EPA. The agency has taken many actions to improve information on chromium and its potential health risks in drinking water. EPA and states are responsible for ensuring that public water systems are in compliance with the current standard for total chromium.

The agency has also collected nationally representative data on the occurrence of both total chromium and hexavalent chromium through the third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3).

EPA is actively working on the development of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of hexavalent chromium, which will include a comprehensive evaluation of potential health effects associated with hexavalent chromium, and EPA expects that the draft IRIS assessment will be released for public comment in 2017.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, before EPA can decide whether to regulate a contaminant, it must meet three criteria:

• The contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health of persons;
• is known to occur or there is a substantial likelihood that the contaminant will occur in public water systems with a frequency and at levels of public health concern; and
• in the sole judgment of the EPA Administrator, the regulation of the contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reductions for persons served by public water systems.
EPA has a drinking water standard of 0.1 milligrams per liter (mg/l) or 100 parts per billion (ppb) for total chromium.

This includes all forms of chromium, including hexavalent chromium. Only one of the almost 5,000 public water systems that monitored total chromium under the UCMR3 reported results that exceeded EPA’s standard.

Patch file photo