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EPA To Tighten Standards After Report Of Tainted Water

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says the agency would likely tighten drinking water standards.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson issued a statement Wednesday following a report showing hexavalent chromium in the drinking water of 31 cities across the country. She says she is concerned about the prevalence of the carcinogen in drinking water.

This week the Environmental Working Group released a study that analyzed drinking water across the country. The five with the highest levels of chromium 6 were Norman, Okla.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Riverside, Calif.; Madison, Wis.; and San Jose, Calif.

The federal government's total chromium standard is 100 parts per billion. California has proposed a goal for safe limits for chromium 6 at 0.06 parts per billion.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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