Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Your source for the latest research news <br />Date: <br />Source: <br />Summary: <br />Hexavalent chromium is widespread in North Carolina wells <br />but not linked to coal ash <br />October 26, 2016 <br />Duke University <br />Hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich, is far <br />more abundant in drinking water wells in North Carolina than previously thought, a new <br />study finds. <br />FULL STORY <br />Groundwater testing revealed that nine out of ten <br />drinking water wells in North Carolina's Piedmont <br />region contain detectable levels of the carcinogen <br />hexavalent chromium, and that the contamination <br />stems from natural sources. <br />Credit: Avner Vengosh, Duke University <br />Hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen made famous by the movie Erin <br />Brockovich, is far more abundant in drinking water wells in North Carolina than <br />previously thought, a new Duke University study finds. <br />The contamination doesn't, however, stem from leaking coal ash ponds as many people feared after <br />state officials tested wells near coal plants last year and detected potentially harmful levels of <br />hexavalent chromium in the water. <br />Instead, it's caused by the natural leaching of mostly volcanic rocks in aquifers across the Piedmont <br />region. <br />"About 90 percent of the wells we sampled had detectable levels of hexavalent chromium, and in many <br />cases the contamination is well above recommended levels for safe drinking water. But our analysis <br />clearly shows it is derived from natural sources, not coal ash," said Avner Vengosh, professor of <br />geochemistry and water quality at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. <br />Page 1of 4Hexavalent chromium is widespread in North Carolina wells but not linked to coal ash --ScienceDaily <br />12/16/2016https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026111400.htm