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Chemical Sampling Information (CSI)
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General Description

Synonyms: Chrome; Chromium metal; Other names vary depending on specific compound

OSHA IMIS Code Number: 0685

Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number: 7440-47-3 (Chromium metal)

NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) Identification Number: GB4200000

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - Chromium Metal: Physical description, chemical properties, potentially hazardous incompatibilities, and more

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Hazard Summary - Chromium: Uses, sources and potential exposure, acute and chronic health hazard information, and more

Exposure Limits and Health Effects

Exposure Limit

Limit Values

HE Codes

Health Factors and Target Organs

OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) - General Industry
See 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1

1 mg/m3
TWA
Chromium metal and insoluble salts (as Cr)

HE10

Pulmonary disease

HE15

Dermatitis             

OSHA PEL - Construction Industry
See 29 CFR 1926.55 Appendix A

1 mg/m3
TWA
Chromium metal and insoluble salts (as Cr)

HE10

Pulmonary disease

HE15

Dermatitis

OSHA PEL - Shipyard Employment
See 29 CFR 1915.1000 Table Z-Shipyards

1 mg/m3
TWA
Chromium metal and insoluble salts (as Cr)

HE10

Pulmonary disease

HE15

Dermatitis

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)

0.5 mg/m3 TWA

HE10

Pulmonary effects

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV) (2004)

0.5 mg/m3
TWA
Metal and trivalent Cr compounds (as Cr)

A4

HE15

Respiratory and skin irritation, dermatitis

CAL/OSHA PEL

0.5 mg/m3
TWA

HE15

Respiratory and skin irritation, dermatitis

National Toxicology Program (NTP) carcinogenic classification: Not listed

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) carcinogenic classification: Group 3 [15 MB PDF, 208 pages] (not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans)

EPA carcinogenic classification: Not listed (chromium metal); Carcinogenic potential cannot be determined (chromium(III), insoluble salts)

EPA Inhalation Reference Concentration (RfC): Not established

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Inhalation Minimal Risk Level (MRL): Not established (chromium metal); 0.005 mg/m3 (intermediate) (chromium(III), insoluble particulates)

NIOSH Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) concentration: 250 mg Cr/m3 (chromium metal)

Notes on Other Potential Health Effects and Hazards

  1. Results of most epidemiological studies dealing with chromium are difficult to interpret due to poorly controlled confounding factors (ATSDR 2008).

Date Last Revised: 9/6/2012

Literature Basis

  • ACGIH: Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs) - Chromium and Inorganic Compounds. 2004.
  • ATSDR: Toxicological Profile for Chromium. 2012.
  • NIOSH: Recommendations for Occupational Safety and Health - Compendium of Policy Documents and Statements. 1992.

Monitoring Methods used by OSHA

Primary Laboratory Sampling/Analytical Method (SLC1):
  • sampling media: Mixed Cellulose Ester Filter (MCEF) 0.8 microns
    maximum volume: 960 Liters
    minimum volume: 480 Liters
    maximum flow rate 2.0 L/min
    analytical method 1: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy; AAS
    method reference: 2 (OSHA ID-121)
    sampling and analytical error: 0.12
    method classification: Fully Validated
    analytical method A: Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma; ICP/DCP-AES
    method reference: 2 (OSHA ID-125G)
    sampling and analytical error: 0.13
    method classification: Fully Validated
    note: If the filter is not overloaded, samples may be collected up to an 8-hour period. When analysis of a compound is requested, an elemental analysis is performed and reported as total chromium.

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