The Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) announced on 24 March 2011 that it was supporting two initiatives to advance the science surrounding hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) found in trace amounts in drinking water.
WaterRF is co-sponsoring the next phase of a pilot program with Glendale, California, to explore new technologies and processes to reduce chromium-6 levels in drinking water. In addition, the foundation is supporting a special project that will review detection techniques for chromium-6 as well as compile information on the occurrence of the contaminant, its sources, treatment options, health effects, and the current status of federal and state regulations in the US.
Both of these new research projects are in response to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s recent announcement that it intends to establish a new maximum contaminant level for chromium-6 that could be significantly lower than the existing one. Such a new standard could have major implications to water utilities across the US.
Anion exchange (both strong-base and weak-base), membrane filtration by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, reduction followed by coagulation and precipitation, and adsorption, or a combination of these, can remove hexavalent chromium from drinking water.