Chromium 6 Tragedy

This morning as I was fixing *yankees see bottom for term dictionary* myself a nice, refreshing glass of water, I was reminded of the most personally devastating news story from the past few weeks. The Environmental Working Group released a study listing 31 major cities whose tap water is contaminated with high levels of Chromium 6...the same chemical element featured in the movie Erin Brockovich. You know, the movie about the water that gave everybody cancer! Apparently this colorless, odorless Chromium 6 increases the risk of lung cancer as well as kidney and intestine problems. And although you may be thinking, "I don't live in one of those big cities"...let's be real, if 31 out of the 35 cities tested had the problem...image how many more smaller towns and cities who were not tested also have issues. I'm guessing many, many do! This is a very personally upsetting issue for me because in the 9th grade I stopped drinking soft drinks cold turkey. You know what that leaves...water...tap water.

And I've drunk a whole lot of it in the last 11 years!! (Oh goodness, was 9th grade really that long ago??) I've always thought of it as my one redeeming health quality. I may eat a few more sweets than I should...but at least I just drink water, right?!! Well, throw that one out the window. I always thought bottled water and filters were just for the fancy folks, and I'm a good 'ol girl who isn't too "elitist" for tap water. Well no more my friends. I'm about to drop the big bucks on a water filtration system, and maybe you should too! I'm not trying to get all crazy and jump to conclusions...in my heart I still want to turn on that tap and get my free water fix...but perhaps I need to heed the warnings this time. I mean, we are all a little too fabulous to be taken out by bad water! At least if I go down by sweets, I go down with a smile on my face!

*For those of my Yankee friends, the word "fixing" is a multi-purpose southern word that means you are or are going to do something. For example: I'm fixin' to go see my grandfather. Or I need to fix my hair before I go out. Or I fixed myself some chicken and dumplins' for lunch. Get it?