Low medium: Chronic effects can include allergic responses and – Chronic toxicity chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chromates are carcinogenic, especially by inhalation of High: Carcinogenicity chromium-containing dusts. Reproductive High: Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child and may toxicity cause genetic defects. Workplace health & safety Personal protective equipment is needed by workers handling chromates. impacts Population No population impacts for these industrial chemicals. scale impacts Chromium toxicity from chromates use extends to other animal species in the environment. This can mean death of animals, birds or fish and death or low growth rate in plants. Chromium (VI) does not Overview breakdown or degrade easily and there is a high potential for accumulation of chromium (VI) in fish life. Cr (VI) is highly mobile, and bioavailable in the environment. Potential environment Acute ecotoxicity Extreme: Very toxic to aquatic organisms. impacts Chronic Extreme: May cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic ecotoxicity environment. High: Chromium compounds are persistent in the environment and Persistence could contaminate water. Bioaccumulation Chromium is not bioaccumulated. Where are the Generation Transport Storage Treatment Recovery Final disposal risks of impacts most High Moderate Moderate Medium N/A Low likely? Has anything happened Chromium releases from the chemical industry have been reported (see Y21) but not from the metal surface treatment sector. before in Australia? Higher risk workplaces like chrome plating and associated metal What control industries, where worker exposure to Cr (VI) compound wastes may measures are be possible, routinely monitor at-risk staff via blood or respiratory Industry – in place to testing. systematic manage risks controls Such companies are licensed by environmental regulators to control posed by this industrial processes and equipment so as to limit environmental waste? emissions of pollutants like Cr (VI).
Chronic toxicity Low – medium: Chronic effects can include allergic responses and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Carcinogenicity High: Chromates are carcinogenic, especially by inhalation of chromium-containing dusts. Reproductive toxicity High: Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child and may cause genetic defects. Workplace health & safety impacts Personal protective equipment is needed by workers handling chromates. Population scale impacts No population impacts for these industrial chemicals. Potential environment impacts Overview Chromium toxicity from chromates use extends to other animal species in the environment. This can mean death of animals, birds or fish and death or low growth rate in plants. Chromium (VI) does not breakdown or degrade easily and there is a high potential for accumulation of chromium (VI) in fish life. Cr (VI) is highly mobile, and bioavailable in the environment. Acute ecotoxicity Extreme: Very toxic to aquatic organisms. Chronic ecotoxicity Extreme: May cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. Persistence High: Chromium compounds are persistent in the environment and could contaminate water. Bioaccumulation Chromium is not bioaccumulated. Where are the risks of impacts most likely? Generation Transport Storage Treatment Recovery Final disposal High Moderate Moderate Medium N/A Low Has anything happened before in Australia? Chromium releases from the chemical industry have been reported (see Y21) but not from the metal surface treatment sector. What control measures are in place to manage risks posed by this waste? Industry – systematic controls Higher risk workplaces like chrome plating and associated metal industries, where worker exposure to Cr (VI) compound wastes may be possible, routinely monitor at-risk staff via blood or respiratory testing. Such companies are licensed by environmental regulators to control industrial processes and equipment so as to limit environmental emissions of pollutants like Cr (VI).