Dark water

A report finds that Chromium 6, a carcinogen, has seeped into twothirds of the US population's water supplies

for two-thirds of the US population contain hexavalent chromium (Cr-6) in potentially unsafe quantities, says non-profit Environmental Working Group. Scientists of California, the only US state to have a legal limit for the carcinogen, say the public health goal for Cr-6 should be 0.02 parts per billion. Long-term ingestion of Cr-6 can cause gastrointestinal cancers, reproductive complications, liver damage and disrupt brain development in children. Despite knowing this, the US has not set a limit for Cr-6 in water. Experts say it might have leached into tap water during its use in steel and power plants.