SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2010
KLMNO BY LYNDSEY LAYTON An environmental group that
analyzed the drinkingwater in 35 cities across the United States, includingBethesda andWashing- ton, found that most contained hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogenthatwasmadefamous by the film“Erin Brockovich.” The study, which will be re-
leased Monday by the Environ- mental Working Group, is the first nationwide analysis of hexavalent chromiumindrinking water to bemade public. It comes as the Environmental
Protection Agency is considering whether to set a limit for hexava- lent chromium in tap water. The agency is reviewing the chemical after theNational Toxicology Pro- gram, part of the National Insti- tutesofHealth,deemedita“prob- able carcinogen” in 2008. The federal government re-
stricts the amount of “total chro- mium” in drinking water and re- quireswater utilities to test for it, but that includes both trivalent chromium, a mineral that hu- mans need tometabolize glucose, and hexavalent chromium, the metal that has caused cancer in laboratory animals. Last year, California took the
first step in limiting the amount ofhexavalent chromiumindrink- ing water by proposing a “public health goal” for safe levels of 0.06 parts per billion. If California does set a limit, it would be the first in the nation. Hexavalent chromium was a
commonlyused industrial chemi- cal until the early 1990s. It is still used in some industries, such as in chrome plating and themanu- facturingofplastics
anddyes.The chemical can also leach into groundwater fromnatural ores. The new study found hexava-
lent chromiumin the tapwater of 31 out of 35 cities sampled. Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California. The highest levels were found
in Norman, Okla., where the wa- ter contained more than 200 times the California goal. Locally, Bethesda and Washington each hadlevels of0.19partsperbillion, more thanthree times theCalifor- nia goal. The cities were selected to be a
mix of big and smaller communi- ties and included places where local water companies had al- ready detected high levels of “to- tal chromium.” “This chemical has been so
widelyusedby somany industries across the U.S. that this doesn’t surprise me,” said Erin Brock- ovich,whose fightonbehalfof the residents of Hinkley, Calif., against Pacific Gas & Electric be- came the subjectof a2000film. In that case, PG&E was accused of leaking hexavalent chromium into the town’s groundwater for more than30
years.The company paid $333 million in damages to more than 600 townspeople and pledged to clean up the contami- nation. “Ourmunicipalwater supplies
are in danger all over the U.S.,” Brockovich said. “This is a chemi- cal that should be regulated.” Max Costa, who chairs the de-
partment of environmentalmedi- cine at New York University’s School of Medicine and is an expert in hexavalent chromium, called the new findings “disturb-
TALK SHOWS
Guests to be interviewed Sunday on major television talk shows:
FOX NEWS SUNDAY WTTG, 9 a.m. Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.); and Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R).
STATE OF THE UNION CNN, 9 a.m. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.); former U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad; retired Adm.William J. Fallon, former U.S. Central Command chief; retired Gen. Richard B. Myers, former Joint Chiefs chairman; and National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando.
THISWEEK ABC,WJLA, 10 a.m. Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.); and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah.
NEWSMAKERS C-SPAN, 10 a.m. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.).
FACE THE NATION CBS, WUSA, 10:30 a.m. Sens. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), Jeff Sessions (R- Ala.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
MEET THE PRESS NBC, WRC, 10:30 a.m. Vice President Biden; Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D); and Republican strategist Mark McKinnon.
WASHINGTONWATCH TV One, 11 a.m. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
40% OFFMARTHASTEWART COLLECTION Reg. 69.99-159.99. Sale 39.99-89.99. Only at Macy’s. Regular-priced casseroles in enameled cast iron.★WebID256785
KEURIG From left: Personal brewer. #B31. Reg. 139.99. Sale 99.99. Special Edition brewer. #B60. Reg. 199.99. Sale 139.99. Newand only at Macy’s. Keurig 48-pc. variety pack. Reg. 34.99. Sale 25.99 Also, other K-Cups on sale. Reg. 14.99&15.99. Sale 9.99&10.99.
SALE 99.99 &139.99
ing.” “At this point, we should strive
to not have any hexavalent chro- mium in drinking water” or at least limit the amounts to the level proposed by California, Cos- tawrote in an e-mail. Hexavalent chromiumhas long
been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, but scientists only recently found evidence that it causes cancer in laboratory ani- mals when ingested. It has been linked in animals to liver and kidney damage as well as leuke-
mia, stomach cancer and other cancers. The American Chemistry
Council, which represents the chemical industry, says the Cali- fornia goal is unrealistic because some water supplies have natu- rally occurring hexavalent chro- miumthat ishigher than.06parts per billion. In a written statement, the
group’s senior director, Ann Ma- son, said that “even the most sophisticated analytical methods used by EPAare not able to detect
the extremely lowlevels thatCali- forniawants to establish.” The group supports a “uni-
form, national standard for hexavalent chromiumindrinking water, based on sound science,” Masonwrote. “Research is under- way to provide EPA with critical data that will allow for a more informed risk assessment of hexavalent chromium. This data willbe
completebymid-2011.Giv- en the potential impact on drink- ing water supplies, EPA should incorporate this data inits assess-
EZ SU
Politics & The Nation Group finds ‘Erin Brockovich’ chemical in D.C., Bethesda water
ment.” Brendan Gilfillan, an EPA
spokesman, said that the agency was aware of thenewstudy by the Environmental Working Group and that the findings will be con- sidered as the agency reviews to- tal chromium in drinking water, work that is expected to be com- pleted next year. Ken Cook, president of the En-
vironmentalWorkingGroup, said that water utilities across the country are resistant to the regu- lation.
BEST CUSTOMER SALE STOREWIDE SAVINGS&VALUESNOWTHROUGHMONDAY KITCHENAID, KEURIG, MARTHA STEWART COLLECTION, FIESTA,MORE
KITCHENAID Save $40. Reg. 139.99. New&only at Macy’s. Architect 14-cup coffee maker, #KCM222CS; 4-slice toaster, KMT423CS or countertop oven, KCO222CS. ★WebID476394
SALE 99.99
“It’s not their fault. They didn’t
cause the contamination. But if a limit is set, it’s going tobe extraor- dinarily expensive for them to clean this up,” Cook said. “The problem in all of this is that we lose sight of thewater drinkers, of the people at the end of the tap. There is tremendous push-back from polluters and from water utilities. The real focus has to be on public health.” The report will be available
Monday
atwww.ewg.org laytonl@washpost.com
A5
SALE 19.99
YOUR CHOICE Reg. 39.99-59.99. New!Presto popcorn poppers. From left: hot air, #4824 or stirring, #5201. ★WebID343917
KID’S CHEF SET Save $10. Reg. 29.99. Only at Macy’s. By Martha Stewart Collection with apron, measuring cups, 4recipe cards and more.
SALE 19.99
SALE 99.99
SODASTREAM Save $40. Reg. 139.99. Genesis makes sparkling water or soda.
#1017512014. ★WebID 412789
ONLY 14.99-24.99LOLITA STEMWARE Ornaments. Only 14.99 ea. ★WebIDs 480610;480612 Holiday wine and martini glasses. Only 24.99 ea. These items are not on sale.
40% OFF
ESPAÑA Reg. $36. Sale 21.60. 8-pc. fondue set. Melts chocolate or cheese.
SALE 9.99-14.99
17-OZ.TO24-OZ. TEA POTS Reg. $16-$22. With infusers. ★WebID486439
FIESTA CAKE PLATE SET Save $18. Reg. $58. Ceramic cake plate in scarlet, ivory or lemongrass with server.
SALE 39.99
FREE ONLINE SHIPPINGEVERYDAY on any$99 purchase nowthrough 12/20. Visit
macys.comtoday. Usepromocode: GIFTS. Exclusionsapply.
Enterthe WebIDinthe search
boxatmacys.com to order.
FIND MACY’S EVERYWHERE! Follow us on twitter Become our fan on facebook Download our free iPhone App from iTunes
REG. PRICES AREOFFERINGPRICES,ANDSAVINGSMAYNOTBEBASEDONACTUAL SALES. SALEPRICESINEFFECT THROUGH12/20/
10.MERCHANDISE WILLBEONSALEATTHESEANDOTHERSALEPRICESNOW THROUGH1/8/11. Kitchen electrics and cookware shown carry manufacturers’ warranties; to obtainamanufacturer’s warranty before purchasing, visit astore or write: Macy’s Warranty Dept., PO Box 1026 Maryland Heights, MO 63043, attn: Consumer Warranties. Advertised items may not be available at your local Macy’s, and selections may vary by store. Prices and merchandise may differ at
macys.com. 6110224 For store locations&hours, log on to
macys.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160