Healthier Environment: Chromium in Tucson

  Aha! Another unlikely culprit that uses chromium. Just like the utensils, companies will use chromium to make their appliances look new and shiny. By using these appliances you're putting your food at higher risk of cross-contamination from these appliances, and the eventual chipping of paint on the appliances puts you at higher risk of directly consuming chromium. 

                                         Our next culprit is utensils! When you roam through your local grocery/convenience stores for these kitchen utensils, you tend to want to look for the ones that look clean and shiny right? Well, just like our microwave culprit, these shiny utensils also use chromium for the sleek effect!  Brands will use chromium for its shiny look and for its inexpensive value, which puts you at risk! When using these utensils to consume food, you're unknowingly contaminating your food with chromium! You're also directly exposing yourself by placing these utensils in your mouth to consume food. 

So now you know that chromium can be bad for you when the levels are higher than what the safe intake level is. But how are you supposed to fix it? There are actually a few options available. The best option is purchasing a water filter. When buying one, make sure that it filters the water through either reverse osmosis or ion exchange! Filters that use activated carbon will not properly filter out the chromium. Sources Used: Environmental Working Group. (2021).  City of Tucson .  https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=AZ0410112

  Our second culprit has been found... microwaves! Many microwaves you see being sold to the public pride themselves in being "stainless steel", but many don't realize that the sleek look of these microwaves comes directly from the use of chromium!  Now you may wonder... if the chromium is only used in the metal/paint on the metal, how am I being exposed to it? Great question! Over time, like any other appliance, the paint and metal will slowly erode. This means the chromium paint that is on your microwave will flake off at some point, putting your food and yourself at risk of exposure!

What's up Tucson! Anyone who has lived in Tucson at any point for any amount of time has definitely heard rumors about how bad the Tucson water quality is. But just how bad is it exactly? Well, you've come to the right place for information on that.  According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the tap water here in Tucson is awful. They have detected 6 other contaminants than chromium, such as arsenic, nitrates, and even uranium. But the chromium levels are quite high. The tap water was around 0.649 ppb from 2013 to 2019, which is 32 times the EWG's recommended amount of 0.02 ppb. The state's average level is even worse, with it being 3.38 ppb! Keep in mind that the EPA set forth a drinking water standard of 100 ppb, so this is not great. I'd definitely recommend watching where you are getting your water from and investing in something like a water filter or another option that can help lower your chromium intake to safer levels!  Sources Used: Environmental...

  Our first culprit! Like we've explained before, the tap water in Tucson is awful. The amount of chromium in our water is wayyyy higher than recommended! You've been using this water to wash your hands after using the restroom, thinking you're cleaning your hands from any germs. While that may be true, you've also been exposing yourself to a high concentration of chromium every wash!  (Not so) fun fact: Arizona has one of the highest chromium concentrations in the entire country! 

Chromium is a chemical element that is found in many different forms in our everyday life. For example, silverware gets its sleek "stainless" look from using chromium! Chromium is also found in many different food products that you have probably ingested. The list can go on and on... While little exposure isn't too bad for your health, continued exposure can be very harmful. To name a few health outcomes that can happen from further exposure, there's cancer, kidney/liver damage, and eye damage (yikes!).  Hearing that makes you worry, right? Sadly, you can't really protect yourself from it! Chromium is used in items that you use every single day, and you probably have no clue! We're students from the University of Arizona, and our goal is to show you how often you're being exposed to Chromium by recording items we find on our campus through pictures. Join us on our adventure to bring awareness to Chromium exposure! Sources Used: Royal Society of Chemistry. ...