알라메다(Alameda) 캘리포니아 고등법원은 최근 주 공공 건강 부서에 6가(價) 크롬이라는 발암물질로부터 캘리포니아 주민을 보호하기 위한 새로운 음용수 기준을 정립, 제정할 것을 요구했다.

"이 발암물질로부터 우리의 음용수 수질을 보전하는 것은 수백만 캘리포니아 주민의 안전과 건강을 위해 매우 중요한 일입니다."라고 천연자원 보존 위원장 니콜라스 모랄레스(Nicholas Morales)는 말했다. "정부의 부주의로 이 6가 크롬 발암물질에 노출된 사람들이 3100만 명에 이릅니다. 본 부서는 이제 공공 건강을 안전하게 지키기 위해 기준을 제정하는데 노력하여야 합니다."

6가 크롬은 산업운용 과정 중에 표면 위 물에 유입되거나 토양에서 지하수로 흘러들어 가는 등의 경로로 공급되는 음용수에 녹아든다. 이 발암물질을 사용하는 산업 시설에 근접한 지역 사회들이나 집중산업 개발지구들이 특히 위 오염 현상에 크게 노출되어 있다. 사람들의 경우 6가 크롬으로 오염된 물을 마시거나 토양 위에서 생활하거나 그 주변에서 농작된 음식물을 섭취하였을 경우 노출되는 것으로 알려졌다.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, July 23, 2013 -- The California Superior Court of Alameda recently required the state's Department of Public Health to proceed with setting a standard to protect millions of Californians from unsafe levels of hexavalent chromium, cancer-causing chemical, in drinking water.

"Protecting our drinking water supply from this carcinogen is critical to the health and safety of millions of Californians," said Nicholas Morales, attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "An estimated 31 million people are exposed to unsafe levels of cancer-causing hex chrome due to government inaction. Now, the department's focus should be on setting a standard that adequately protects public health."

Hexavalent chromium enters the drinking water supply by running off from industrial operations into surface waters or leaching from soil into groundwater. Communities adjacent to industrial facilities using the carcinogen or Superfund sites are among those most highly exposed to the pollution. People can be exposed to hexavalent chromium by drinking contaminated water, eating contaminated food, by inhaling it, or by exposure to contaminated soils.

Ruling from the bench, Judge Evelio Grillo directed the agency to propose a drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium by the end of August 2013. Following the public comment period on the rule, the court will consider any further deadlines in light of the volume and nature of public comments.

An EWG analysis of official records from the California Department of Public Health's water quality testing conducted between 2000 and 2011 revealed that about one-third of the more than 7,000 drinking water sources sampled were contaminated with hexavalent chromium at levels that exceed safe limits. These water sources are spread throughout 52 of 58 counties, impacting an estimated 31 million Californians.

NRDC and EWG's suit contended that the department must rapidly proceed to set a "Maximum Contaminant Level" -- the maximum concentration of a chemical that is allowed in public drinking water systems -- for hexavalent chromium in drinking water. The California EPA's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment announced a final "Public Health Goal" for hexavalent chromium in drinking water in July 2011, a preliminary step for the agency to adopt a drinking water standard. The goal was set at 0.02 parts per billion, a level that does not pose a significant health risk to people. The agency now must move quickly to set the maximum limit for hexavalent chromium as close to that safe level as feasible.

[출처: Waterworld / 2013년 7월 23일]