Introduction to Hexavalent Chromium 6 or IV

Hexavalent chromium compounds are almost always man-made and are used in a variety of industries. Some of the prominent uses of hexavalent chromium in industry include chromate pigments in dyes, inks, and plastics, chrome-plating in which chromium metal is deposited on a surface using chromic acid and chromates used to prevent corrosion in paints, primers and other coatings. Hexavalent chromium is essential to a number of industrial applications: chromate pigments are used in dyes, ink and plastics, chromic acid is used in chrome plating and chromates are used to prevent corrosion in paints and other coatings. While these compounds can be very beneficial, they can also be harmful or lethal to those employees exposed to them.