A first of its kind nation wide study published today by Environmental Working Group, finds that Honolulu, Hawaii has the second highest rate of hexavalent chromium 6 in tap water of any city in the United States. This may sound like an unfamiliar chemical, but otherwise known as 'chromium 6', when discovered in the water supply of Hinkley, California, Erin Brockovich helped bring about a lawsuit that ultimately ended in 1996 with the utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric, paying more than $330 million in damages. Environmental Working Group who led the study, said "There is a well-documented corollary between exposure to chromium-6 and a greater risk of stomach cancer in humans. Additionally, there is ample animal evidence showing a broad risk of gastrointestinal tumors in rats and mice exposed to the toxin." The Environmental Protection Agency does not require water utilities to test for chromium-6, and has not established a legal threshold for how much can be in our water, but the agency has classified the toxin as "likely to be carcinogenic to humans." California's state environmental agency has proposed capping levels of the chemical in drinking water at 0.06 parts per billion. The attached image, and the link below contains data for chromium 6 levels for cities tested in the U.S., including Honolulu:
Basically, every tourist coming to Hawaii to gain some well earned rest and relaxation, may be going home with more than a suntan and a puka shell necklace. The "pukas" they go home with won't just be in the shells around their neck, but the holes in their stomach from stomach cancer caused by drinking the water at breakfast, in the hotel buffet line, or at a local diner. "Puka" is the Hawaiian word for "hole", and the "puka" just might be in their stomach caused from drinking water laced with hexavalent chromium 6.
