stainless steels and anode consumption the use of stainless steel ss as an anode should be approached with great caution or best yet avoided altogether ss contains chromium no matter what misinformation you may have read on the internet ss anodes are indeed consumed during consumption highly toxic chromates are released into the electrolyte hexavalent chromium is extremely toxic and highly carcinogenic disposal of this electrolyte into the ground or down the drain is illegal and poses risks of contaminating ground water and city water supplies touching this chromate containing electrolyte must also be avoided by all means the main page of this article should be updated to reflect the extreme toxicity the use of ss anodes will induce into the used electrolyte solutions