SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 1, 2001 — The California Senate has voted 23-7 to send a bill to the state Assembly that would set the process in motion for limiting chromium 6 in drinking water.
If the bill is passed and signed into law, the Department of Health Services (DHS) would then set a maximum limit for chromium 6 in drinking water supplies by Jan. 1, 2004.
DHS would also report on the progress of developing the standard Jan. 1, 2003.
The DHS has already asked the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to set a public health goal for chromium 6.
Also, the California Environmental Protection Agency has asked the University of California to set up a panel of experts to review how carcinogenic chromium 6 is when ingested.
In February 1999, the OEHHA set a preliminary public health goal of 2.5 ppb for total chromium. The federal drinking water standard, also based on total chromium, is 100 ppb.
