Controlling Hexavalent Chromium Contamination

Hexavalent chromium is produced in numerous industrial processes and is commonly generated in textile manufacturing, leather tanning, electroplating, and stainless steel production. It can also be formed during welding on stainless steel. The compound is a concern in many industries because of its negative impact on health. Exposure to or ingestion of hex chrome can cause serious health problems ranging from dermatitis to lung cancer. Because of the threat to employees’ health, OSHA has recommended regulatory standards for controlling exposure.

Does Your Business Use Applications That Produce Hexavalent Chromium?

Many industrial processes can produce hexavalent chromium including:

• Welding chromium alloys: Both stainless steel and nickel alloy contain hexavalent chromium.
• Thermal spraying: Electric arc, combustion, and plasma spraying using metallic chromium in the feedstock can produce hexavalent chromium.
• Coating with chromates: Many primers, paints, dyes, and inks contain chromates. Sanding and binding coatings containing chromates and chrome plating can also produce hexavalent chromium.
• Leather tanning: Processes can convert the chromium compounds used in tannin to hexavalent chromium.

Whichever of these processes you use, your facility could be producing a mist, fume, or dust that contains hexavalent chromium. It’s important to remember that while this will be a certain percentage of your total output of mist, fume, or dust, hex chrome has its own threshold limit value (TLV), so it’s possible to exceed this limit even though your output of hexavalent chromium is lower than your output of other airborne contaminants.

How Can Your Employees Become Exposed?

If your company uses processes that may produce hexavalent chromium, your employees could be exposed in the following ways:

• Inhalation: It can be inhaled through the mouth and nose.
• Skin contact: It can be absorbed through the skin on contact.
• Ingestion: Exposed food, cosmetics, or tobacco can become contaminated through poor personal hygiene and then ingested.

Health Effects of Exposure

Exposure to hex chrome can cause:

• Irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat
• Gastrointestinal ulcers
• Contact dermatitis
• Ulcerations and perforations of the nasal septum
• Cancer of the lungs, sinuses, and nasal passages

OSHA Workplace Standards for Hexavalent Chromium

OSHA regulations for hexavalent chromium have been in place since 2006 and state the following:

• Employers must protect their workers from an exposure greater than 5 micrograms of hex chrome per cubic meter of air per 8-hour workday.
• Capture-at-source ventilation is the recommended method of control.
• As well as equipment, employers should also provide protective clothing, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, and record keeping.

Controlling Hexavalent Chromium Contamination

The best way to protect your workers from hexavalent chromium exposure is with a well-designed ventilation system. Sledge Tech provides three options for reducing hexavalent chromium exposure and protecting your workers:

• Downdraft Tables: Sledge Tech's Downdraft Tables extract fumes and dust downwards, away from workers’ breathing zones. Sledge Tech offers a series of portable and static industrial downdraft tables in a range of sizes. Their robust design is built to withstand even the most demanding of applications and the HEPA filtration system ensures your workers’ safety.
• Fume Extractors: Sledge Tech's Fume Guru models with HEPA filtration offer lightweight and heavy-duty portable options. The nanofiber filter can capture airborne contaminants as small as 0.5 microns.
• Ambient Air Cleaners: Sledge Tech's selection of Ambient Air Cleaners are designed to effectively extract dust, mist, and fumes. They can be easily installed without the need for ductwork. They can be combined to increase the power of filtration.

Contact Sledge Tech today to find out more about our air filtration solutions. All our systems are OSHA compliant. We are happy to answer all your questions. You can reach us at (706) 622-3039 or request a quote online.