The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday recommended that utilities nationwide test drinking water for hexavalent chromium.
The new guidelines, issued to state water agencies and public water system managers, acknowledge the growing concern over the cancer-causing form of chromium, known as chromium-6.
Environmental advocates and Oregon water officials lauded EPA's swift response to an advocacy group's December report that it found hexavalent chromium in 31 of 35 U.S. cities where it tested water. Among them: a privately owned water system in Bend.
While EPA won't decide whether to mandate a new drinking water standard until later this year, it recommends water suppliers step up monitoring and test water at various points of their systems to ensure that treatment and disinfection methods are not making matters worse.
One wonders-couldn't EPA leave it to the States, counties and localities to decide the issue of drinking water standards? I realize I'll get comments wondering why I don't care about people being poisoned by chrome-6.
The comments will of coruse be assuming asusme that local, county and State offiicials somehow care less about their people than far-off Washington does. There is no evidence to support this assumption. Further, it is more likely that people affected by chromium issues in drinking water can have a meaingful say at their local level than they can with bureaucrats in the central government.
Some will argue that it is easier to corrupt local officials than federal ones. Of course, even were that true, at least corrupting a local agency would affect only the locality involved; corrupting the feds would involve the whole country.
Moreover, it's pretty clear that the feds are just as subject to corruption as are any state or local officials. Look at the Congressmen recently found to have violated the law or ethics rules.
Lynda Newnam, how do you know this information? are you a reacersh of any sorts on orica?if so, i would like to get in contact with you about Orica as i am writing a Briefing paper on the disaster impact and consequences of the Orica Newcastle/Stockton Spill.Also Thank you for the detailed information regarding the Orica Botany Site
Posted by: Emily | November 29, 2012 at 07:37 AM
Don't worry, we can destroy the mdilde class in spite of them.Soon the US will be a third world country with a tiny wealthy class and a HUGE mass of working poor, just the way we want it.We just need to hold the economy hostage for a few more years until we get more neocons elected.Last November was just the beginning, they will never know what hit them.Soon they will all be begging us to trickle our scraps down to them.hahahahahahahahaha
Posted by: Echi | June 14, 2012 at 11:58 PM
Actually studies in the trade uninos show exactly the opposite . Dollar for dollar union jobs come in on time and with fewer defects than non union projects . Non union delays and poor quality hurt profits . I realize that government workers uninos and teacher uninos operate differently . Trade uninos will send you out on a project and it is up to you to keep the job . If you don't it reflects poorly on the rest of the members . Year in and year out better help makes for better business .
Posted by: Ilham | June 12, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Nowadays the quality of drinking water is very low in the countries of the 3rd world.. The water used there doesn't meet standards and requirements and it causes diseases and rising the ratio of death.
Posted by: essay writing | August 30, 2011 at 06:20 AM