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According to the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) other adverse health effects associated with exposure include skin irritation or ulceration, allergic contact dermatitis, occupational asthma, nasal irritation and ulceration, perforated nasal septa, rhinitis, nosebleed, respiratory irritation, nasal cancer, sinus cancer, eye irritation and damage, perforated eardrums, kidney damage, liver damage, pulmonary congestion and oedema, epigastric pain, and erosion and discolouration of teeth.

Was the drinking water supply contaminated given the plant is located close to Hunter Water treatment facilities and catchment areas? To answer this properly we need to know how much hexavalent chromium was released on 8^th August and how much has been released in the past but not brought to the attention of residents.

As luck would have it, the health effects of hexavalent chromium in drinking water have become a major issue in the United States. In 2010, the United States Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested tap water in 35 U.S. cities and found hexavalent chromium in 31 of them (89 percent). Water samples in 25 of those cities contained hexavalent chromium at concentrations higher than the "safe maximum" (0.06 parts per billion) proposed by California regulators, but far below the safety standard of 100 ppb for all types of chromium combined that was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Note that hexavalent chromium is but one type of chromium.

To be clear, the EPA was not declaring drinking water with hexavalent chromium "safe" for human consumption. Rather, it underscored the lack of certain knowledge and clear guidelines concerning the level at which hexavalent chromium in drinking water becomes a public health hazard.

In Australia the guidelines call for concentrations of no more than 50 ppb.

We don't know whether Orica or Hunter Water has ever breached those guidelines. Sadly what we do know is how little we know.

There is no dispute that hexavalent chromium is toxic. Its toxicity refers to its ability to cause harm. Damage from a toxic effect may be visible or only measurable by a test (for say, decreased lung function). The toxicity of a substance depends on three factors: its chemical structure, the extent to which the substance is absorbed by the body, and the body's (principally the liver and kidneys) ability to detoxify the substance and eliminate it from the body.

When it comes to chemicals, "toxic" and "hazardous" are not the same. "Toxicity" can be thought of as a subset of "hazardous". The toxicity of a substance is the potential of that substance to cause harm, and is only one factor in determining whether a hazard exists. The hazard of a chemical is the practical likelihood that the chemical will cause harm.