Erin Brokovich
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We recently saw a movie in biology called Erin Brockovich, in this movie a woman called Erin Brockovich, a lawyers assistant, discovers large quantities of Chromium(VI) in local ground water due to a multi-billion company, PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) cleaning its cooling towers with said chemical. She successfully rallied the people of the town behind her law firm and managed to make a settlement with PG&E for 333 million dollars, 136 million of which were then taken by the law firm for expenses and Ms Brockovich herself obtained 2 million dollars.
Unfortunately it appears that while Chromium(III) is crucial to a persons diet, to help digest fats and fatty acids for use by the brain, the Chromium(VI) that allegedly poisoned the towns people of Hinkley, Chromium(VI) is only mentioned to be a human carcinogen within certain limits in various scientific documents. The limits that are most promininent are the cancers of the lungs and septum, and this is only when Chromium(VI) is inhaled. Cancer caused by Chromium(VI) by consumption by means of water also seems to be unlikely since when Chromium(VI) comes in contact with water it forms an acidic form of Chromium(III), which is not a carcinogen, thus rendering Erin’s argument to a somewhat weaker stance.
In various scientific sites it is stated that the most severe reactions of the body to Chromium(VI), which do not involve the inhalation of said substance, are allergies and irritation of the skin. This is stated by CSTEE (the European Commissions Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment) in a report for the European Union regarding the toxicity of various chemicals in 2003, one of which being Chromium(VI). A well known author of various books regarding modern society and science, Michael Fumento, has also critized the movie and the actual event. He believes, as part of the scientist community, that what happened was actually a town taking advantage of a large company, this can be seen more now, as since 1996 when the first lawsuit was filed, the law firm is now trying to sue the company on behalf of another 1500 people who have suddenly started suffering Chromium(VI) poisoning, which is interesting since the chance of Chromium(VI) causing cancer are actually close to one in a million. As for the chances of child birth being affected by Chromium(VI) are also suspected to be almost nil, since tests on animals have shown that even with far higher quantities of Chromium(VI) dogs and rats are unaffected sexually...