Chromium

As civilization has progressed, man has used ever greater quantities of chemicals, has learned to prepare new compounds not found in nature, and has devised many different chemical processes. These developments have led to great concern over the public-health consequences of accidental release or waste disposal of these possibly harmful chemicals into the environment. The problem has been intensified by the development of more sensitive methods of detection and analysis. Because some chromium compounds have been found to produce harmful effects in man through industrial exposures, it has become important to determine the concentrations, forms, and health effects of chromium in the ambient air. This document is the result of a critical evaluation of the literature available to the Panel on Chromium up to July 1, 1972, on the biologic and health effects of chromium. As will become apparent in the following pages, the literature does not provide conclusive answers to many of the important questions on the biologic effects of chromium. The final chapter lists categories of future research that the Panel feels warrant high priority.