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.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
