People have been alarmed of prevailing contaminants that pollute our water systems. There are a lot of contaminants present that poses certain risks to a person’s health. One of the contaminants that has been given attention now is the Chromium 6. It has been found that Chromium 6 is starting to contaminate our water in an alarming rate. Not to mention, that this particular contaminant can be harmful when consumed over a period of time.
Studies and researches have been made to try and explain the nature of Chromium 6 and what it does to our water, most importantly, a person’s health. Nonetheless, it is of utmost importance to spread knowledge and awareness to the community on how to deal with such contaminant. If it is contaminating our waters and harming our health, we would want to know how to remove it from our drinking water.
There is a choice whether to just ignore the fact that your water might be contaminated with Chromium 6 and just go about on your daily activities, or you could try to at least educate yourself with the potential health risks this contaminant might cost you one day. Yes, you may not be seeing or experiencing any health problems as of the moment and might just think that everything is okay. However, it is best advised to stay alert and aware of the consequences it may bring.
Each and every one deserves the right to have access to safe and drinkable water and no one should be deprived of that right. It is just proper to add that every one also deserves the right to be informed.
What is Chromium 6?
Chromium 6 is an element belonging in the periodic table that is classified under metallic element chromium. Another term known for calling Chromium 6 is the Hexavalent Chromium.
Chormium 6 does not carry any distinct smell or taste. In addition, it naturally evolves in different kinds of rocks, soils, ores, volcanic dusts and even in plants, animals and humans too.
There are numerous kinds of Chromium that were recognized. But, the most identifiable forms of Chromium in the society are the trivalent chromium (chromium-3), hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) and the metal form of chromium (chromium-0).
Although the numerous forms of Chromium that are prevalent, what will be tackling about is the Chromium 6 in specific. For the reason that it is the particular chemical compound that threatens the quality and safeness of our water. Especially in the purposes of consumption.
Typically, Chormium 6 is produced through different industrial processes. Commonly, the Chromium 6 is used for manufacturing chrome plates, essential component in making stainless steel, plays an important role in wood preservation, leather tanning and textile dyes and pigments. It is also proven that Chromium 6 is a great compound for anti-corrosion usages and also conversion coatings.
How to Remove Chromium 6 in Drinking Water
It can be a difficult task to completely remove Chromium 6 in your water source. Unlike lead, which can be removed through flushing the pipes, since lead leaches into the water pipes, Chromium 6 is different. Flushing your water pipes would not do any result in trying to remove or reduce Chromium 6 in water. Due to the reason that chromium 6 is mixed from the water source itself.
A few of the methods to efficiently remove Chromium 6 in your water is through reverse osmosis and through using a high-end water filtration system.
What is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse Osmosis is a method used to treat water to remove harmful contaminants from water through applying pressure to the water that would force water molecules to pass through a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane is composed of microscopic pores that prevents contaminants from passing through. During that process, the contaminants are now filtered out leaving you with a contaminant-free water.
When the contaminants are now separated from the water source, they are then drained out from the reverse osmosis water system. Permeate or product is the term used when the water successfully made it through the membrane. Usually, the permeate or product has contaminants removed by up to 95% to 99%.
There are a variety of reverse osmosis systems that are now made available in the market. However, such systems do not promise the same level of contaminant removal as oppose to higher ends of water filtration products. It has been proven that although reverse osmosis can indeed remove contaminants, there are still more effective filtration devices that assures you of higher contaminant removal rate. One of the examples for water filtration systems is the Berkey Water Filtration Systems.
What is the Berkey Water Filtration Systems?
The Berkey Water Filtration Systems has been the most talked about water system product globally. It has passed, and even exceeded, the EPA’s standard test in order to be considered as a purifier. What makes it better than other water systems is that its ability to remove contaminants is so strong and effective, that it is not only a filtration system but also a purifier.
They have set the standards high, worldwide, when it comes to ensuring a safe and healthy drinking water. It has already been tested and proven that the Berkey Water Filtration System has the ability to remove 99.99% of all potentially harmful water contaminants and pollutants. This includes bacteria, cysts, parasites, viruses, protozoans, toxic chemicals, pesticides and heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Not to mention that the Berkey Water Filtration System can also significantly remove fluoride, arsenic and even food coloring that were mixed in your waters. On top of that, it still manages to leave all the necessary and essential nutrients that the body needs for a day to day encounter.
The Berkey Water Filtration Systems are designed with a well-constructed, highly polished 304 stainless steel. Not only that, but it also comes with a complete package essential kit containing 2 Black Berkey purification elements (expandable to 4), 2 chambers, lid, a spigot, rubber gasket base, and 2 blocking plugs. In addition, the Berkey systems have the ability significantly reduce fluoride and arsenic through its 4 PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic filters that can be installed into the lower chamber. To top it all off, the Berkey systems is also capable of removing food coloring that were mixed with the water.
The Black Berkey Purification elements are the heart of the Berkey Water Filtration System. It is the one that is responsible for doing all the filtration work, and it is found to be very effective and reliable when you want to provide your household with safe and drinkable water.
The Dangers of Chromium 6 towards Human Health
The United States Department of Labor was able to share a public article that discusses the detailed health troubles that exposure to Chromium 6 can cause. In addition, they were also able to briefly summarize certain health conditions that a person could acquire upon exposure to chromium 6.
“Adverse health effects associated with Cr(VI) exposure include occupational asthma, eye irritation and damage, perforated eardrums, respiratory irritation, kidney damage, liver damage, pulmonary congestion and edema, upper abdominal pain, nose irritation and damage, respiratory cancer, skin irritation, and erosion and discoloration of the teeth. Some workers can also develop an allergic skin reaction, called allergic contact dermatitis. This occurs from handling liquids or solids containing Cr(VI) such as portland cement. Allergic contact dermatitis is long-lasting and more severe with repeated skin exposure. Furthermore, contact with non-intact skin can lead to ulceration of the skin sometimes referred to as chrome ulcers. Chrome ulcers are crusted, painless lesions showing a pitted ulcer covered with fluid.” (www.osha.gov)
Further researches and studies are still being continuously conducted to determine the specific health risks that Chromium 6 can bring upon ingestion through drinking water. For now, Chromium 6 is identified to be a human carcinogen which means that it promotes the formation of cancer. This is due to the reason that carcinogens have the ability to damage genomes in the body and disrupt the cellular metabolic process of the body. There are many natural carcinogens that have already been identified and Chromium 6 is categorized under one of them.
Health authorities are still left questionable as to the particular health problems that Chromium 6 might cause to a human. They are not yet certain of what exact level of Chromium 6 that causes health risks or troubles to people. On the other hand, what they have yet found out is that when they mixed a certain level of Chromium 6 on the drinking water of rats and mice, they unfortunately developed cancer over time.
Irregardless of the uncertainty when it comes to the potential health risks that the Chromium 6 can do, scientists, who continues to study and seek further data when it comes to Chromium 6 in drinking water, for some reason are concerned even with just the low levels of Chromium 6 found in drinking water. Particularly, on the infants or kids, or even a developing fetus, that are or can be exposed to such contaminant.
Nonetheless, the presence of Chromium 6 in our drinking water is still a topmost concern to almost all communities. There may not be no particular names of health problems that are directly caused by the contamination of Chromium 6 yet, however, there are symptoms of minor pains and discomfort that can be acquired upon ingesting the Chromium 6. Furthermore, such symptoms are said to increase in its severity when consumed over a long period of time.
Fortunately, the brighter side of all of this is that Chromium 6 contamination takes a longer period of time before it actually does something major to the human health.
Chromium 6 in California, 2016
The different communities of California reported their concern with regards to the presence of Chromium 6 in their drinking water. The issue has affected several areas of the state affecting not only hundreds, but thousands of people. For example, residents in Rio Linda, California were affected greatly by the contamination of this Chromium 6. It has also been reported that due to the severe contamination of this Chromium 6, several local wells had to be abandoned because they were already unusable due to the Chromium 6 taking over their waters. It is alarming that despite the fact that this is the place that is known to be firm and strict when it comes to their regulatory limits pertaining the Chromium 6, the contaminant somehow still seemed to manage its way through the California waters.
As of 2016, California is the only state that was able to enforce a maximum contaminant level for the Chromium 6. An approximate of Seven million Americans are said to be receiving tap water containing higher levels of Chromium 6 which were considered to be dangerous.
However, there were no trace of the origin as to where the Chromium 6 was able to make its way to their waters. The only potential reason that they can identify in relation to the case was the McClellan Air Force base. Residents stated that they use the base as their location to proceed with their aircraft chrome plating operations. Hence, the source perhaps of the increase in volume of the Chromium 6 which heavily affected their water.
North Carolina residents were also expressing their concerns and raising their complaints due to the Chromium 6 contamination of their waters. The population that were most affected by this were those near power plants that utilizes coal for their operations.
Bill Walker once stated, that we can never be too concern with only one contaminant in our water. Since, the real problem is that in this generation our water is found to be contaminated with hundreds of things and having hundreds of those contaminants is more dangerous than to having only one single contaminant in our water.
Why Take Care of your Water?
Water is without a doubt the most essential necessity a person could have. Basically, it is the powering fuel that our body needs in order to function properly and efficiently. The average human body is barely composed of 60 percent water. Not to mention, that every organ, bone and skin is also individually composed of water too. In that alone, it is clear enough to assume that our body definitely runs on water.
Without water, or with little access to it, your body might result in to being dehydrated and that is not a good sign. Dehydration can seriously affect the overall performance of a person. Not only that, but it also branches out additional sicknesses such as high blood pressure, skin diseases, kidney troubles and many more all because of dehydration or inadequate amount of water.
Taking all of these in to context, water must be assured of its cleanliness and safeness for a person to consume. We can not only rely on the fact that water alone can aid us in achieving good health and reach our optimum potentials. But, clean water is the key to attaining all of these.
EcoBlueLife.com is a replacement water and air filter company located in the United States. The views and opinions contained herein are solely those of the original author and do not represent Eco Blue Life or its affiliates. This article was originally published on TheBerkey.com
