California to Cap Chromium-6 in Drinking Water Welcomed by Bluewater

Bluewater, a Swedish company making leading-edge residential water cleaning appliances sold globally, today welcomed California’s decision to be the first American state to regulate the amount of chromium-6 allowed in its drinking water.

Chromium-6 is a radioactive isotope that is widely viewed as a carcinogen. The chemical made headlines as the result of the ‘Erin Brockovich’ film starring Julia Roberts that depicted the true-life plight of a town in California with water allegedly poisoned by tons of contaminants from a utility company leeching into groundwater.

In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Working Group found hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, in the drinking water of 31 of 35 cities tested across America.

The new Californian state standard for chromium-6 in groundwater is now set at 10 parts per billion (pbb), the equivalent of about 5 teaspoons of the chemical in an Olympic sized swimming pool, compared to the federal standard of 100 parts per billion for total chromium.

“We applaud Californian lawmakers for their initiative to tackle Chromium-6 in tap drinking water,” said Sebastian Hamilton, Bluewater marketing chief at the brand’s headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.

Hamilton said Bluewater’s SuperiorOsmosis™ water purifying technology is engineered for householders worried about the quality of their tap water.

“Our second-generation reverse osmosis technologies remove Chromium-6 from tap water as well as other nasty stuff such as toxins, chlorine, bacteria, nitrates and fluoride,” said Mr. Hamilton.