SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (AP) - California environmental health officials are recommending stricter limits on a carcinogen in drinking water whose dangers became more widely known after the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich.”
Scientists with the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment said Friday water systems should have no more than 0.02 parts per billion of hexavalent chromium. That’s down from their 2009 recommendation of 0.06 parts per billion.
They say the revised proposal is based on new research that shows certain populations are more susceptible to health risks from exposure to carcinogens.
It is intended to guide state public health officials as they develop an enforceable standard for hexavalent chromium in drinking water.
Brockovich sued Pacific Gas & Electric Co. over hexavalent chromium releases in the town of Hinkley.
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