BPW: No chromium-6 in Lewes water

Chromium-6, the cancer-causing chemical that was the target of Erin Brockovich in the 1990s, has been back in the news recently after a report from the Environmental Working Group found two-thirds of all Americans are drinking water with higher-than-normal levels of the chemical. 

Lewes Board of Public Works General Manager Darrin Gordon wants to quell any fears in Lewes. He said BPW officials had the city’s water tested, and the water supply is clear of any chromium-6. 

“We had some people concerned here, but there is none,” he said. “We have zero chromium. We still have wonderful, great water.”

Following a recently issue that required the city to flush its water tower, Gordon said, he was told by officials from Lewes-based pharmaceutical company SPI Pharma that the water quality was great. SPI Pharma officials also informed Gordon that no chromium was present.

Because of the nature of SPI Pharma’s work, Gordon said, the company’s water quality standards are much more sensitive than the BPW’s. 

“They thought there was something wrong with their equipment, so they tested it, and tested it again,” he said. “We’ve been giving them perfectly clean water since [the flush].”

To confirm SPI Pharma’s findings, Gordon said, water samples were sent to the state for testing and came back negative for the harmful chromium-6. 

Chromium is a naturally occurring element. Chromium-3 is an essential nutrient for the body; however, chromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, is often present in areas of industrial land use, like coal plants. 

The working group’s report says chromium-6 levels are at or above 0.03 parts per billion in three-quarters of the samples tested between 2013 and 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency has not established a level of chromium 6 that can be considered safe.