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Chromium

Toxic Substance

    What is Chromium?

    CAS#: 7440-47-3

    Chromium is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, animals, plants, soil, and in volcanic dust and gases. Chromium is present in the environment in several different forms. The most common forms are chromium(0), chromium(III), and chromium(VI). No taste or odor is associated with chromium compounds.

    Chromium(III) occurs naturally in the environment and is an essential nutrient. Chromium(VI) and chromium(0) are generally produced by industrial processes.

    The metal chromium, which is the chromium(0) form, is used for making steel. Chromium(VI) and chromium(III) are used for chrome plating, dyes and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preserving.

    Related Resources for Chromium

    • Case Study in Environmental Medicine (CSEM)
      Self-instructional publication designed to increase primary care provider's knowledge of a hazardous substance in the environment and to aid in the evaluation of potentially exposed patients.
    • CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substance
      Prioritization of substances based on a combination of their frequency, toxicity, and potential for human exposure at National Priorities List (NPL) sites.
    • Interaction Profiles
      Succintly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for mixtures of hazardous substances.
    • Public Health Statement
      Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile.
    • Minimal Risk Levels (MRL)
      The MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse, non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. The information in this MRL serves as a screening tool to help public health professionals decide where to look more closely to evaluate possible risk of adverse health effects from human exposure.
    • ToxFAQ
      Fact sheet that answers the most frequently asked questions about a contaminant and its health effects.
    • Toxicological Profile
      Succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance.
This page was updated on 09/18/2008