
Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (elcosh), (2000).
Hexavalent chromium stainless steel skin#
A Safety and Health Practitioner's Guide to Skin Protection.It has been reported that skin contact from working with wet portland cement can lead to allergic and irritant forms of dermatitis. Provides information about persistent skin rash caused by trace amounts of hexavalent chromium present in portland cement. Preventing Skin Problems From Working with Portland Cement.In sensitized workers, contact with even small amounts can cause a serious skin rash. Some workers develop an allergic sensitization to chromium. Prolonged skin contact can result in dermatitis and skin ulcers. Some employees become allergic to hexavalent chromium so that inhaling the chromate compounds can cause asthma symptoms such as wheezing and shortness of breath. In severe cases, exposure causes perforation of the septum (the wall separating the nasal passages). Repeated or prolonged exposure can damage the mucous membranes of the nasal passages and result in ulcers. Hexavalent chromium can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs.

Avoid eye contact with dusts, fumes, smoke, liquids, mists, and aerosols containing hexavalent chromium. Explains the carcinogenicity, properties, use, production, exposure, and regulations regarding chromium hexavalent compounds.ĭirect eye contact with chromic acid or chromate dusts can cause permanent eye damage. The listing of substances in the RoC only indicates a potential hazard and does not establish the exposure conditions that would pose cancer risks to individuals. Identifies and discusses agents, substances, mixtures, or exposure circumstances that may pose a health hazard due to their carcinogenicity. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Toxicology Program (NTP). Describes a study regarding the incidence of lung cancer among workers in chromium chemical production. " Lung cancer among workers in chromium chemical production." American Journal of Industrial Medicine ( AJIM) 38.2 (July 7, 2000): 115-126. Certain hexavalent chromium compounds produced lung cancer in animals that had the compounds placed directly in their lungs. Studies of workers in chromate production, chromate pigment, and chrome electroplating industries employed before the 1980s show increased rates of lung cancer mortality. The risk of developing lung, nasal, and sinus cancer increases with the amount of hexavalent chromium inhaled and the length of time the worker is exposed. Provides scientific support and rationale for the hazard identification and dose-response assessment in the integrated risk information system (IRIS) pertaining to chronic exposure to hexavalent chromium.Īll hexavalent chromium compounds are considered carcinogenic to workers. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) No. Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium.Lists human health effects that may result from exposure to various substances found in the environment. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), (September 1998). Describes chromium and its effects on humans. Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (September 2000). Characterizes the toxicological and adverse health effects information regarding chromium and chromium compounds. Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (September 2008). Answers the most frequently asked health questions about chromium. Provides a concise list of industrial sources, symptoms and health effects of exposure to hexavalent chromium, and OSHA requirements for the protection of employees. Health Effects of Hexavalent Chromium.

Chrome ulcers are crusted, painless lesions showing a pitted ulcer covered with fluid. Furthermore, contact with non-intact skin can lead to ulceration of the skin sometimes referred to as chrome ulcers. Allergic contact dermatitis is long-lasting and more severe with repeated skin exposure.

This occurs from handling liquids or solids containing Cr(VI) such as portland cement.

Some workers can also develop an allergic skin reaction, called allergic contact dermatitis. Adverse health effects associated with Cr(VI) exposure include occupational asthma, eye irritation and damage, perforated eardrums, respiratory irritation, kidney damage, liver damage, pulmonary congestion and edema, upper abdominal pain, nose irritation and damage, respiratory cancer, skin irritation, and erosion and discoloration of the teeth.
