Public Citizen today released a study that demonstrates more clearly than any prior research that hexavalent chromium is a potent cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer rates among plant workers exposed to the chemical in their workplaces were almost double what would have been expected among otherwise similar individuals, according to the study, which was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The case is closed.
Hexavalent chromium is a potent carcinogen.
This is public health irresponsibility on a grand scale. I have personally seen the suffering of chromium-exposed people. For OSHA to permit the ongoing poisoning of American workers is a disgrace. Hexavalent chromium is used in the production of metal alloys such as stainless steel, chrome plating and pigments. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers are exposed to hexavalent chromium, particularly those in the pigment and plating industries, and in chromium production plants.