NJ Has A Long Legacy Of Toxic Hexavalent Chromium Pollution
But DEP Lacks A Drinking Water Standard For That Chemical
Christie DEP Rejected Scientists Recommendations For A Standard Back in 2010
California just adopted the nation’s first drinking water standard for the toxic chemical hexavalent chromium:
BY RACHEL BECKER
Cal Matters
APRIL 17, 2024
In an effort to protect more than 5 million Californians from a cancer-causing contaminant, state regulators today set a new standard that is expected to increase the cost of water for many people throughout the state.
The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved the nation’s first drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium, which is found naturally in some California groundwater as well as water contaminated by industries.
Now water suppliers will be forced to install costly treatment to limit the chemical in water to no more than 10 parts per billion — equivalent to about 10 drops in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
For the entire article, see
https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/04/california-water-standard-chromium
New Jersey DEP has not set a drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium – the most toxic form – despite a legacy of major chromium pollution and DEP regulatory scandals, see:
- High Chromium Danger Known by New Jersey Leaders Since 2007- Lisa Jackson and DEP Brass Decided to Proceed As If New Data Did Not Exist
In fact, the Christie DEP ignored the recommendations of DEP scientists to adopt a stringent standard back in 2010.
The Drinking Water Quality Institute’s meeting minutes for September 10, 2010:
3. Subcommittee Summaries—Subcommittee Chairpersons Health Effects—L. McGeorge: She noted first that the Subcommittee had adjusted its workplan, delaying action on radium and tertiary butyl alcohol to the first quarter of 2011; they would consider adding nitrates to their workload at a future meeting. Second, after A. Stern’s presentation at the previous Health Effects Subcommittee (HE) meeting on the slope factor developed by the NJDEP Chromium Workgroup for oral exposure to hexavalent chromium, the HE had accepted this slope factor as the basis for a Health-based MCL recommendation for hexavalent chromium at its September meeting. L. McGeorge distributed copies of a memorandum to the Testing and Treatment Subcommittees, recommending a health-based maximum contaminant level (HBMCL) of 0.07 μg/L for hexavalent chromium based on this slope factor.
Since then, this recommendation has been memory holed. See:
The most recent chromium scandal is now playing out as a result of a national Report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Based on EPA data, EWG that found that over 200 million Americans are exposed to unsafe levels of the carcinogen in drinking water, see the Newsweek story:
“Bill Wolfe, with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group that protects government whistleblowers, says the EPA is “absolutely not” doing its job to protect the public from chromium, and that it’s a case that “illustrates undue influence—agency capture—by major corporate polluters.”
The EWG national Report prominently featured New Jersey, and in doing so exposed gross negligence by the Christie DEP.
The Christie DEP ignored DEP’s own scientists’ recommendations to set a chromium drinking water standard of 0.07 parts per billion, recommendations issued way back in September 2010.
The California standard exposes this scandalous DEP record.
Who will tell the people?
Are there any real environmental reporters still on the beat in NJ?