Hinkley groundwater contamination
Encyclopedia
The town of Hinkley
in the Mojave Desert
of California
in the United States
had its groundwater
contaminated with hexavalent chromium
, resulting in a legal case and multi-million dollar settlement. Samples taken in Aug 2010 showed that the plume of contaminated water has started to migrate into the lower aquifier.
The legal case was dramatically portrayed in the film Erin Brockovich
, released in 2000.
in the town for natural gas transmission pipelines. The natural gas has to be re-compressed approximately every 350 miles (563.3 km), and the station uses large cooling towers to cool the compressors. The water used in these cooling towers contained hexavalent chromium
to prevent rust in the machinery. Since the water was stored between uses in unlined ponds, it ultimately severely contaminated the groundwater in the town.
PG&E had alerted the townsfolk earlier about the chromium but said that it was nothing to worry about, saying that chromium was in many multivitamins. While trivalent chromium does exist naturally in many fruits and vegetables, hexavalent chromium can be toxic. When inhaled, it can damage the lining of the nose and throat and irritate the lungs. Studies of workers in chromium processing factories have shown that hexavalent chromium is a known human carcinogen due to chronic inhalation exposures. When swallowed, it can upset the gastrointestinal tract and damage the liver and kidneys; however, evidence suggests hexavalent chromium does not cause cancer when ingested, most likely because it is rapidly converted to the trivalent form after entering the stomach.
After many arguments the case had finally led to arbitration
with maximum damages of $400 million. After the first 40 people received about $110 million, PG&E reassessed its position and decided it was a bad idea. The case was settled in 1996 for $
333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S.
history.
Erin Brockovich
, a legal clerk to lawyer Edward L. Masry
, investigated illnesses in the community linked to hexavalent chromium, now recognized as a carcinogen
. Her successful fight against PG&E became well known in the public's mind, as did Hinkley when the film Erin Brockovich
was released in 2000.
In 2006, PG&E agreed to pay $295 million to settle cases involving another 1,100 people statewide for chromium(VI) related claims. In 2008, PG&E settled the last of the cases involved with the Hinkley claims for $20 million. Ongoing cleanup documentation is maintained at California EPA's page regarding Hinkley.
A study released in 2010 by the California Cancer Registry showed that cancer rates in Hinkley
"remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008." An epidemiologist
involved in the study said that "the 196 cases of cancer
reported during the most recent survey of 1996 through 2008 were less than what he would expect based on demographics and the regional rate of cancer." However, considering the survey spanned a time period of 22 to 32 years after PG&E’s discontinued use of hexavalent chromium, it is unknown how many cancer cases were not included in the study due to the relocation of families or the untimely deaths of afflicted residents of Hinkley.
Average Cr-6 levels in Hinkley were recorded as 1.19ppb with a peak of 3.09ppb. The PG&E Topock Compressor Station averaged 7.8ppb and peaks at 31.8ppb based on the PG&E Background Study. The proposed California health goal for hexavalent chromium is of 0.06ppb.
The same day the study came out, NPR
reported that the plume of contaminated water was spreading.
Cr(VI) contaminated water supply is apparently a widespread problem and not isolated to Hinkley.
Hinkley, California
Hinkley is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in California, U.S., northwest of Barstow, east of Mojave, and north of Victorville. It sits just north of California State Highway 58....
in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had its groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
contaminated with hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium refers to chemical compounds that contain the element chromium in the +6 oxidation state. Virtually all chromium ore is processed via hexavalent chromium, specifically the salt sodium dichromate. Approximately of hexavalent chromium were produced in 1985...
, resulting in a legal case and multi-million dollar settlement. Samples taken in Aug 2010 showed that the plume of contaminated water has started to migrate into the lower aquifier.
The legal case was dramatically portrayed in the film Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
, released in 2000.
Background
Pacific Gas & Electric operates a compressor stationCompressor station
A compressor station is a facility which helps the transportation process of natural gas from one location to another. Natural gas, while being transported through a gas pipeline, needs to be constantly pressurized in certain distance intervals...
in the town for natural gas transmission pipelines. The natural gas has to be re-compressed approximately every 350 miles (563.3 km), and the station uses large cooling towers to cool the compressors. The water used in these cooling towers contained hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium refers to chemical compounds that contain the element chromium in the +6 oxidation state. Virtually all chromium ore is processed via hexavalent chromium, specifically the salt sodium dichromate. Approximately of hexavalent chromium were produced in 1985...
to prevent rust in the machinery. Since the water was stored between uses in unlined ponds, it ultimately severely contaminated the groundwater in the town.
Pollution of groundwater
The wastewater dissolved the hexavalent chromium from the cooling towers and was discharged to unlined ponds at the site. Some of the wastewater percolated into the groundwater, affecting an area near the plant approximately two miles long and nearly a mile wide.PG&E had alerted the townsfolk earlier about the chromium but said that it was nothing to worry about, saying that chromium was in many multivitamins. While trivalent chromium does exist naturally in many fruits and vegetables, hexavalent chromium can be toxic. When inhaled, it can damage the lining of the nose and throat and irritate the lungs. Studies of workers in chromium processing factories have shown that hexavalent chromium is a known human carcinogen due to chronic inhalation exposures. When swallowed, it can upset the gastrointestinal tract and damage the liver and kidneys; however, evidence suggests hexavalent chromium does not cause cancer when ingested, most likely because it is rapidly converted to the trivalent form after entering the stomach.
After many arguments the case had finally led to arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
with maximum damages of $400 million. After the first 40 people received about $110 million, PG&E reassessed its position and decided it was a bad idea. The case was settled in 1996 for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history.
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich-Ellis is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, despite the lack of a formal law school education, or any legal education, was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993...
, a legal clerk to lawyer Edward L. Masry
Edward L. Masry
Edward Louis Masry was a partner in the law firm of Masry & Vititoe and a city councilman.-Biography:He was born on July 29, 1932 in Paterson, New Jersey....
, investigated illnesses in the community linked to hexavalent chromium, now recognized as a carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
. Her successful fight against PG&E became well known in the public's mind, as did Hinkley when the film Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
was released in 2000.
In 2006, PG&E agreed to pay $295 million to settle cases involving another 1,100 people statewide for chromium(VI) related claims. In 2008, PG&E settled the last of the cases involved with the Hinkley claims for $20 million. Ongoing cleanup documentation is maintained at California EPA's page regarding Hinkley.
A study released in 2010 by the California Cancer Registry showed that cancer rates in Hinkley
Hinkley, California
Hinkley is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in California, U.S., northwest of Barstow, east of Mojave, and north of Victorville. It sits just north of California State Highway 58....
"remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008." An epidemiologist
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
involved in the study said that "the 196 cases of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
reported during the most recent survey of 1996 through 2008 were less than what he would expect based on demographics and the regional rate of cancer." However, considering the survey spanned a time period of 22 to 32 years after PG&E’s discontinued use of hexavalent chromium, it is unknown how many cancer cases were not included in the study due to the relocation of families or the untimely deaths of afflicted residents of Hinkley.
Average Cr-6 levels in Hinkley were recorded as 1.19ppb with a peak of 3.09ppb. The PG&E Topock Compressor Station averaged 7.8ppb and peaks at 31.8ppb based on the PG&E Background Study. The proposed California health goal for hexavalent chromium is of 0.06ppb.
The same day the study came out, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
reported that the plume of contaminated water was spreading.
Cr(VI) contaminated water supply is apparently a widespread problem and not isolated to Hinkley.