• Chromium will appear in nature in one of three forms: Chromium(0), Chromium(III) or Chromium(VI).
• Chromium(0) gets used in the production of steel.
• Chromium(III) and/or Chromium(VI) may appear in compounds used for chrome plating, making dyes and pigments, tanning leather, and preserving wood.
• Chromium(III) aids the human body in its use of sugar, protein and fat, though health officials suggest not using excessive amounts of dietary supplements containing chromium compounds.
• Higher levels of chromium(VI) may cause irritation to the lining of the nose, ulcers in the nose, runny nose, and other breathing problems such as asthma, coughing, shortness of breath, and/or wheezing. While both Chromium(III) and Chromium(VI) in air can cause the aforementioned problems, effects occur at much lower concentrations of Chromium(VI) than Chromium(III).
• Chromium(III) and Chromium(VI) may exist in drinking water and have no associated tastes or odors.
• If ingested, Chromium(III) compounds tend to have less toxic tendencies and appear to cause fewer health problems than Chromium(VI) which causes anemia, irritation of the stomach, ulcers in the stomach, and ulcers in the small intestine.
• Some laboratory animals exposed to Chromium(VI) experienced sperm damage and damage to the male reproductive system.
• Some Chromium(VI) compounds may cause skin ulcers and a percentage of the population have extreme sensitivity to Chromium(VI) and/or Chromium(III) with allergic reactions manifesting themselves as severe redness and swelling of the skin.
• The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the EPA have determined that Chromium(VI) compounds are known human carcinogens. ( source )

• Some developmental effects have been observed in animals exposed to Chromium(VI). ( source )

Regulations, rules and recommendations pertaining to Chromium?

The EPA has determined that exposure to chromium in drinking water at concentrations of 1 mg/L for up to 10 days is not expected to cause any adverse effects in a child. The FDA has determined that the chromium concentration in bottled drinking water should not exceed 1 mg/L. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has limited workers’ exposure to an average of 0.0005 mg/m3 chromium(VI), 0.5 mg/m3 chromium(III), and 1.0 mg/m3 chromium(0) for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek. ( source )

What NSF/ANSI Standards apply to chromium in drinking water?

Standard 53, Standard 58, and Standard 62.

For more information on the specifics of those NSF/ANSI Standards and others, take a look at the NSF International Web Site. It offers a wealth of information for both the consumer AND water professionals alike.

Removing chromium from drinking water?

As far as units for the average consumer, pretty much only reverse osmosis makes any sense. One could use a process like distillation, but it has a flow rate that most likely would not meet homeowner needs and a much higher entry cost.

As an example of a reverse osmosis that carries NSF Certification for chromium reduction, you may want to take a look at the Pentek RO-3500 which has a price tag of under $270 and appears to offer a lot of filtering power for the money.

Pentek RO-3500 Reverse Osmosis Water Filters have tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 for the reduction of Pentavalent Arsenic (Arsenic V), Barium, Cadmium, Copper, Hexavalent & Trivalent Chromium (Chromium VI & Chromium III), Cyst, Fluoride, Lead, Nitrate/Nitrite, Radium 226/228, Selenium, TDS and Turbidity.

After examining the water quality in a selection of 100 cities, each containing more than 250k residents, the EWG put together a list of the Best and Worst Water Systems. Below you will find the highlights and low points from that list:

Cities w/ 3 Best Water Systems:

• Arlington Water Utilities in Arlington, Texas
• Providence Water in Providence, Rhode Island
• Fort Worth Water Department in Fort Worth, Texas

Cities w/ 3 Worst Water Systems:

• Emerald Coast Water Utility in Pensacola, Florida
• City of Riverside Public Utilities in Riverside, California
• Las Vegas Valley Water District in Las Vegas, NV

Didn’t see your city’s water system on the list? Don’t worry. You can view the full list of citeies surveyed here.

The EWG published another handy tool for determining the relative safety and purity of your drinking water:

• EWG Drinking Water Quality Database

In that document you will find the EWG’s findings on the quality of drinking water in more than 45,000 communities across the country.

Why Should You Test Your Own Water?

Even if your local water department makes the top of EWG’s or any other organization’s list the possibility still exists that human error, human negligence, or pure chance could result in the accidental contamination of your drinking water.

Events such as water mains developing leaks and/or breaking, someone performing water testing at the water treatment facility with outdated reagents, and someone simply ‘fudging’ test reports because of laziness, budget cuts, or maybe because that person has a massive hangover, could all very easily result in unwanted contaminants getting into your drinking water.

We suggest that people test their tap water periodically for chlorine levels (free & total), pH, metals (lead, copper, etc.), and coliform bacteria — just in case.