Chemical Causes Cancer When Ingested
Hexavalent chromium, the chemical featured in the movie Erin Brockovich, has been found to definitively cause cancer in laboratory animals that drink it in their water. The study was published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Hexavalent chromium was used in the early 1990s in industrial manufacturing. It still is used in chrome planting and the making of dyes and plastics. Hexavalent chromium has long been recognized as a carcinogen that can cause lung cancer, but it had been unclear if the compound caused cancer when ingested.
It had been believed that the stomach broke hexavalent chromium into a less toxic form and finding tumors from it was "surprising," said toxicologist Michelle Hooth. The Environmental Protection Agency limits the amount of chromium in drinking water at one part per billion. However, as a result of this study, the agency plans to update their standards: "Now that the NTP has released their final study, we will evaluate the results and determine whether the agency needs to update the existing health assessment."
Related Links:
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Hexavalent Chromium in Drinking Water Causes Cancer in Lab Animals
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