More than 1.4 Million Cuyahogans Have Drinking Water Toxin Made Famous By Erin Brockovich

OHIO - More than 1.4 million Cuyahogans have Chromium-6, a cancer causing toxin in their drinking water, according to a report from Environmental Working Group. The toxin was made famous in the 2000 movie "Erin Brokovich."

Although the water provided by local agencies do not exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection's maximum of 100 parts per billion of total chromium, it does 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.

The toxin Chromium-6 causes cancer, reproductive problems and liver damage even from little exposure, the report says.

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 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.

EWG 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.

In Cuyahoga County, six water systems tested positive for Chromium-6 and 47 out of 52 samples tested positive for the toxin. That list includes:

• Cleveland:
  • Samples: 20
  • Detects: 20
  • Average : 0.10 ppb
  • Range: 0.034-0.20 ppb
• Bedford
  • Samples:8
  • Detects: 8
  • Average : 0.12 ppb
  • Range: 0.041-0.20 ppb
• Berea
  • Samples: 8
  • Detects: 8
  • Average : 0.15 ppb
  • Range: 0.087-0.23 ppb
• Chagrin Falls Village
  • Samples: 4
  • Detects: 2
  • Average : 0.11 ppb
  • Range: 0.0-0.23 ppb
• Cleveland Heights
  • Samples: 4
  • Detects: 3
  • Average : 0.062 ppb
  • Range: 0.0-0.094 ppb
• Lakewood
  • Samples: 8
  • Detects: 6
  • Average : 0.084 ppb
  • Range: 0.0-0.39 ppb

The Cleveland Water Department issued a statement on the report today.

"Our most recent testing indicates Cleveland Water’s total Chromium level is 10 PPB. We also recently completed Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 3) testing which indicated our Chromium-6 levels were 0.1 PPB," the statement says.

"Since 2013, we have tested at all four of our water treatment plants and in our distribution system (the water mains that deliver water to you) as required by the USEPA. These results are cited in the recently released report and, when interpreted correctly, show Cleveland Water’s levels are well below the State and Federal MCLs for total Chromium. Additionally, our Chromium-6 results are well below the California MCL of 10 PPB," the statement continues.

Here's how Patch neighborhoods outside Cuyahoga County scored:

• Avon
  • Samples: 8
  • Detects: 8
  • Average : 0.11 ppb
  • Range: 0.043-0.20 ppb
• Avon Lake
  • Samples: 8
  • Detects: 8
  • Average : 0.081 ppb
  • Range: 0.053-0.11 ppb

Here is a list of Ohio's other towns, and water commissions and countywide agencies, that exceeded the report's acceptable level of Chromium-6 in tap water (0.02 parts per billion) 2013-2015 results:

• Adams County Regional Water District
• City of Akron
• City of Alliance
• City of Amherst
• Archbold Village
• Ashtabula County Water System
• Aqua OH, Inc.
• Aqua OH - Ashtabula
• Aqua OH - Marion
• Aqua OH - Mentor
• Aqua OH - Struthers
• Attica Village
• City of Aurora
• City of Barberton
• Belmont County Sanitary District #3
• City of Bexley
• City of Bowling Green
• Brown County Rural Water
• Buckeye Water District - Ohio River
• City of Bucyrus
• Butler County Water District
• City of Cambridge
• Canton
• City of Celina
• Chillicothe Correctional Institute
• Cincinnati
• City of Circlevitte
• Clermount County
• Clyde Water Treatment Plant
• Columbus
• City of Conneaut
• City of Coshocoton
• City of Cuyahoga Falls
• City of East Liverpool
• Daleside Systems, Inc.
• Dayton
• City of Defiance
• Delaware County Water Company, Inc.
• City of Delaware
• Erie County Perkins District
• Elyria Water Department
• City of Fairborn
• Findlay
• City of Fostoria
• Franklin
• City of Fremont
• City of Gahanna
• City of Galion
• Gallia County Rural Water Association
• City of Girard
• Greenfield City
• City of Greenville
• City of Hamilton
• Hecla Water Association
• Hillside MHP
• City of Iron Hill
• Ironton
• Jefferson County Water & Sewer District
• City of Kent
• Lake County East Water Subdistrict
• Lake County West Water Subdistrict
• City of Lebanon
• Lima City Water
• Little Hocking Water & Sewer Association
• City of Lorain
• City of Loveland
• City of Mansfield
• City of Marietta
• City of Marysville
• City of Maumee
• McComb Water Treatment Plant
• City of Medina
• Medina County Northwest
• City of Middletown
• Montgomery County Water Services #1
• Montgomery County Water Services #2
• Mount Orab Village
• City of Mount Vernon
• Muskingum County Water - NW
• Muskingum County Water - SE
• Napoleon City
• NAWA
• City of New Philadelphia
• City of Newark
• City of Niles
• City of North Ridgeville
• Northern Ohio Rural Water
• City of Norwalk
• City of Norwood
• Northwest Regional Water District
• OH American Water Co. - Tiffin District
• City of Oregon
• Ottawa County Regional
• City of Painesville
• City of Perrysburg
• City of Piqua
• Portsmouth
• City of Ravenna
• City of Reynoldsburg
• Rural Lorain County Water Association
• City of Saint Mary's
• City of Salem
• City of Sandusky
• Sciotio Water District #1
• Springboro
• City of Springfield
• City of Sidney
• Stow
• City of Sylvania
• City of Steubenville
• City of Tallmadge
• Tate-Monroe Water Association
• City of Toledo
• City of Troy
• Trumbull Co. - Bazetta/Champion
• Tupper Plains/Chester Water District
• City of Urbana
• City of Van Wert
• Vermillion
• City of Wadsworth
• City of Warren
• City of Washington Court House
• Western Water Company
• City of Westerville
• City of Wilmington
• City of Wooster
• Wright State University
• City of Xenia
• City of Youngstown

Tom Davis contributed to this report
Patch file photo