According to the Associated Press, this week, elevated levels of a potentially carcinogenic chemical were found in a water sample (2 parts per billion) from Lake Michigan after a U.S. Steel facility in Indiana spilled an unknown amount of toxic chemicals into a waterway near Lake Michigan. Thankfully, the test results showed that the chemical levels were “well below” federal safety standards, although I will admit that doesn’t really inspire much confidence in me. It’s not currently known how much was spilled.

Chicago’s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, said, “U.S. Steel must immediately explain how they allowed a dangerous chemical into a Lake Michigan tributary where it could harm millions of people in Indiana and Illinois, and what they are doing to ensure this never happens again.”

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Hexavalent chromium is a toxic heavy metal used in “a variety of industrial processes, including steelmaking and corrosion prevention.” And you’ll most likely recognize the name of the chemical thanks to the movie “Erin Brockovich.”

While the amount found is a higher level than what should normally be found in lake water, the amount is still just a fraction of the EPA’s drinking water standard of 100 parts per billion.

A utility shop that pulls water from the lake immediately stopped and three beaches at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore- as well as Ogden Dunes- were closed as a precaution.

U.S. Steel claims that the release of the chemical was stopped at the source.

Source: MLive