EWG INVESTIGATION

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EWG Statement, 03/10/2008

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WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?

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NATIONAL SUMMARY

Quality Varies Across the U.S.

CONTAMINANTS DATABASE

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Credits

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Status: Unregulated - EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.

Vanadium is a metal used as an alloying addition to iron & steel. Potential health impacts associated with Vanadium include immunotoxicity, kidney toxicity, and respiratory toxicity.

Sources of Vanadium:

Industry

An Environmental Working Group analysis of Vanadium tests reported by 1,610 public water suppliers in 6 states shows that between 1998 and 2003, 40.9 million people in 927 communities drank water contaminated with Vanadium. No health-based limit has been established by the federal government.Vanadium remains unregulated in tap water, without a maximum legal limit.

Exposure Summary

40,925,052 People drinking water contaminated with Vanadium 927 Communities served water contaminated with Vanadium

Table. Vanadium Exposure by State

40.9 million Americans in 2 states were served tap water contaminated with Vanadium between 1998 and 2003.

State	Water suppliers with Vanadium contamination
	Systems	Population
California	926	40,869,052
New Mexico	1	56,000
Total	927	40,925,052

Table. The most polluted communities

40.9 million Americans in 927 communities were served tap water contaminated with Vanadium between 1998 and 2003

Ranked by highest average Vanadium level

Rank	System	Population Served	Positive test results of total reported tests	Average Level (Range)
1	El Capitan Mutual Water Company Goleta, CA	135	1 of 1	90 ppb (90 to 90 ppb)
2	Mobile Plaza Park Ceres, CA	125	1 of 1	84 ppb (84 to 84 ppb)
3	City of Rio Rancho Sewer and Wastewater Rio Rancho, NM	56,000	1 of 1	83 ppb (83 to 83 ppb)
4	Caruthers Comm Serv Dist Caruthers, CA	2,103	2 of 2	80 ppb (78 to 82 ppb)
5	Triple R Mutual Water Company Porterville, CA	400	3 of 3	75.67 ppb (61 to 86 ppb)
6	Fountain Trailer Park Water Calabasas, CA	45	1 of 1	70 ppb (70 to 70 ppb)
7	Sbndo County Service Area 70j Victorville, CA	4,821	4 of 6	69 ppb (0 to 150 ppb)
8	Coyote Valley Mutual Water Company - Uni Ocotillo, CA	365	1 of 1	59 ppb (59 to 59 ppb)
9	Orosi Public Utility District Orosi, CA	5,763	2 of 2	51.5 ppb (47 to 56 ppb)
10	Pratt Mutual Water Company Tulare, CA	1,600	1 of 1	50.6 ppb (50.6 to 50.6 ppb)

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Testing Summary for Vanadium

Water suppliers report an average of 0.6 Vanadium tests per year. 38,141 water suppliers failed to report any Vanadium tests at all.

Are tests routinely required for Vanadium by federal law? No Water suppliers reporting tests for Vanadium (1998-2003): 1,610 of 39,751 Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (1998-2003): 0.6 per year

Vanadium Violations

Because Vanadium is unregulated in tap water, no violations are recorded in EPA's violations database, the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Under the federal tap water law, water suppliers are not required to routinely test for Vanadium, and any level is legal in tap water.