Hexavalent Chromium VI in Drinking Water

Remove Hexavalent Chromium VI from drinking water with a Reverse Osmosis System.

Water is an essential part of human life. It is important for every person to know how to gain access to clean drinking water to avoid health complications. Normally, drinking water is distributed to every household in every city in the country. This does not mean that people should be laidback in assessing the components of the available water services offered. Water is accessible anywhere such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers or even rainwater before undergoing water treatment or purification. More often than not, untreated water contains various chemicals, materials and organisms which contaminate the water.

One of the undesirable components of untreated water can be chromium. Chromium exists in the environment in many different forms. Some of these forms of chromium of beneficial to people and are in fact needed in small quantities by the human body for normal function. One form of chromium though, chromium VI (also known as hexavalent chromium) is a very dangerous industrial pollutant.

Chromium III vs. Chromium VI

Chromium III is required by the human body in trace amounts to ensure the proper functioning of the insulin response and the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Chromium III is found in meat and many vegetables. Chromium VI - hexavalent chromium - is a compound that is used for many industrial purposes. It is used for the production of stainless steel and in wood preservation. Chromium VI (hexavalent chromium) is also used for tanning leather and as an anti-corrosion chemical. Unfortunately chromium VI has been allowed to enter the environment ultimately ending up in many of our water ways and drinking water systems. It is a very dangerous chemical that is known to cause many health issues including cancer.

Effects of Chromium VI (hexavalent chromium)

Chromium VI (hexavalent chromium) can enter the body through several different mechanisms. Airborne particles may be inhaled causing direct damage to the lungs. Other forms or chromium may be dissolved in water and enter the body through the digestive system. Once chromium VI enters the body it is transported directly into many cells. Within these cells chormium VI (hexavalent chromium) acts as a genotoxic carcinogen meaning that it interacts directly with the DNA of the cell causing damage and drastically increasing the likelihood that the cell becomes cancerous. In 2010 the U.S. Environmental Working Group sampled the water of 35 American cities. 31 of these cities were found to have water that exceeded the State of California limit on chromium VI (hexavalent chromium)

Removing Chromium VI (hexavalent chromium) From Drinking Water

As dangerous as chromium VI is, the good news is that it is not difficult to remove from drinking water. The most effective way to do this in a residential application is with a reverse osmosis system. A reverse osmosis system is a system of several pre-filters and a semi-permeable membrane. This membrane allows only pure water to pass through and contaminants are washed away to drain. The reverse osmosis process is well recognized as a means of removing this dangerous and cancer-causing contaminant. When selecting a reverse osmosis for the removal of chromium VI (hexavalent chromium) look for a system with a 3rd party designation such as NSF or WQA certifications. This is your assurance that these systems have been tested by somebody other than the manufacturer and have been shown to significantly reduce contaminants.