Chemical of the Month

1. Consuming water polluted with Cr(VI) through polluted water is toxic and carcinogenic to the GI tract, and there is evidence that it is also harmful to the immune system and male reproductive system.
2. Acute, or short-term, exposure to Cr(VI) through the air can cause irritation to the nose, coughing or wheezing, rashes, or eye irritation.
3. Chronic, or long-term, exposure through the lungs is linked with respiratory issues, ulcers, and lung, nasal, and sinus cancers.
4. Workers who are exposed to airborne Cr(VI) on the job can develop nasal septum perforations, impaired lung function, and other respiratory effects.
5. Long term exposure through the skin can also lead to an allergic reaction which causes swelling and an itchy, crusty rash every time the skin comes in contact with Cr(VI).

A 2018 study of tattoo inks found that 90% of the inks tested contained hexavalent chromium in amounts above the safe level allowed in the European Union. If you are planning a tattoo, ask your artist about the safety testing that their brand of inks go through.

It took the EPA until 2016 to acknowledge the cancer risk and until 2018 to create new restrictions on emissions. In the meantime, facilities in St. Gabriel, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles parishes were emitting tons of ethylene oxide each year. The EPA only reached out to warn affected Gulf South communities, most of which are majority Black and low-income, last summer. There is no excuse for these decades of silence, and the countless lives affected by the emissions.

Ethylene oxide isn’t necessary to power our world, and instead of building more facilities to produce it, we should invest in existing, less harmful alternatives. Its common uses include making polyester fabrics, single use plastics, and antifreeze.

But polyester fabrics shed microplastics every time they are worn or washed, and these plastic pieces make their way into our drinking water, our rivers and oceans, and even the air we breathe. Research is ongoing on the effect of microplastics on human health, but microplastics have been shown to interfere greatly with fish and other sea creatures who eat it. In a cruel twist, those who drink bottled water- often out of necessity, since toxic industries have polluted the local water supply- drink about 25 times more microplastics than those whose communities can provide clean tap water.

Speaking of bottled water, ethylene oxide is also a precursor to single use plastics, including those used to make soda and water bottles. We need an investment in safe tap water for everyone, not more microplastic-shedding single use containers.