Researchers announced yesterday that there is strong evidence a
chemical referred to as hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6,
causes cancer in laboratory animals when it is consumed in
drinking water. The two-year study conducted by the National
Toxicology Program (NTP) shows that animals given hexavalent
chromium developed malignant tumors. “Previous studies have
shown that hexavalent chromium causes lung cancer in humans in
certain occupational settings as a result of inhalation
exposure,” said Michelle Hooth, Ph.D., NTP study scientist for
the technical report. “We now know that it can also cause cancer
in animals when administered orally.” The study findings were
announced at the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS) after the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors
Technical Reports Review Subcommittee completed its independent
peer review of the sodium dichromate dihydrate research report .
Sodium dichromate dihydrate is an inorganic compound containing
hexavalent chromium that was used i