Letter 5052

enviromental hazards associated with chrome plating 

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In the process of up-dating our business plan, we are seeking a consise artical or paper on why chrome plating is considered to be enviromentally hazardous and the impact this maybe having on the industry.

Cliff Harper
- Castlegar, BC Canada

I doubt that you're going to find a single paper that covers the technical elements of the issue. And I know from the way that both sides instantly dismiss facts and race to the ideological extremes that there is absolutely zero chance of coming up with any realistic economic impact analysis.

And compounding those problems is yet another, that the cost to industry will be proportional to the dangers that the public perceives. To make this point in a silly but true way, I can simply ask "Do you want that economic analysis based on the presumption that Julia Roberts will or will not win the Best Actress oscar?"

The chrome plate itself is not toxic, but most chrome plating, and all hard chrome plating, is done out of baths of hexavalent chromic acid. This material is considered carcinogenic by the U.S. government, and has been known to be toxic and the cause of chrome sores, chrome ulcers, and perforated septums since 1928. Further, it is hard to keep that chromic acid all in the tank because of the gassing and fizzing which tend to send the material up the exhaust system, over the rims of the tanks, and settling on the overhead rafters. Improper disposal has created some horrendous Superfund sites. It is a major problem that will not go away.

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

In the USA there are many environmental issues surrounding chrome plating; I am not sure which, if any, apply to your situation in Canada, but these may give you a direction to find information.

In general, the solution itself is considered hazardous under OSHA and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act(SARA)due to acute (corrosive) and chronic (carcinogenic) health hazards, and fire (oxidizer) hazard. The spent solution often is considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act(RCRA) for corrosivity (pH < 2)due to the acid content and usually for heavy metals (chromium and on occasion for other metals depending on the nature of the substrate). The rinsewaters often are regulated as well, depending on the composition and method of discharge.

These regulations carry with them (depending on factors such as quantity stored, consumed, disposed, etc.) numerous reporting requirements: hazardous waste reports (usually every other year) describing nature and quantity of waste, location and nature of waste handling; contigency reporting (generally methods used to protect the environment, workers and surrounding population from exposure); toxic release reporting (annually) decribing disposition of specific listed chemicals (chromium compounds and nitric acid) to all media (air, water, on-site and off-site treatment, recycling, and "release"-including regulated and permitted waste disposal); and hazardous chemical inventory reporting (annually) describing quantity, location and method of storage.

In addition, several permitting requirements apply, which vary with local and state regulations and specific application as to nature of discharge, if any, to air and water.

Patricia Steffan
- Pittsburgh, PA

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