Home »

New Maximum Contaminant Level Proposed for Hexavalent Chromium in California’s Drinking Water

Hexavalent Chromium Testing

Category	Press Release
Publish Date	9/7/2023
Author	Paul Cochrane
Title	New Maximum Contaminant Level Proposed for Hexavalent Chromium in California’s Drinking Water
Introduction	LA Testing offers laboratory services to identify hexavalent chromium from environmental and industrial hygiene samples to protect people and to help water utilities and companies maintain regulatory compliance.
Huntington Beach, CA, September 7, 2023 The California Water Boards announced in June that the State Water Resources Control Board had reached another milestone in the process of creating a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for hexavalent chromium by formally proposing to set the level at 10 parts per billion (ppb). If implemented, the MCL would bring a new standard of public health protection to the state’s drinking water. According to the California Water Boards media release: The proposal includes a three-stage compliance schedule that would provide small water systems with more time to acquire and implement the necessary water treatment technologies to meet this standard. Small systems with fewer than 10,000 connections often serve disadvantaged communities and have a smaller customer base for distributing improvement costs. As a result, they may struggle with the financial and technical challenges of installing new treatment technology for hexavalent chromium. “The former MCL for hexavalent chromium in drinking water was invalidated in 2017, so the only MCL currently in place is for total chromium which is set at 50 ppb in California,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “Total chromium is all chromium compounds present in water, including trivalent and hexavalent chromium. If the new MCL is adopted, it is expected to take effect in 2024.” Helping water utilities and companies maintain regulatory compliance, and dedicated to helping protect the public, workers, and the environment from exposure to hexavalent chromium, are the specialists at LA Testing. Their California laboratories provide environmental and industrial hygiene testing services and sampling supplies for hexavalent chromium and a wide range of other chemical and microbial exposure concerns. To learn more about hexavalent chromium testing or other environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. About LA Testing LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for food, consumer product, environmental and indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, bacteria, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, CDC Elite, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro and San Diego.