Chromium and disease: review of epidemiologic studies with particular reference to etiologic information provided by measures of exposure.

Abstract

Dozens of epidemiologic studies have been conducted since the late 1940s in an attempt to elucidate the relationship between exposure to chromium compounds and increased rates of certain cancers observed in several industries. The relationship between employment in industries producing chromium compounds from chromite ore and lung cancer has been well established in numerous studies. The relationship between exposure to certain chromium-based pigments and chromic acid and lung cancer, although not as strong, is fairly well accepted. The data concerning emissions from stainless-steel manufacturing and disease are contradictory. Although individual studies have indicated excesses of gastrointestinal and occasionally other cancers in these industries, results are not consistent and not universally accepted. There is general agreement that chromite ore does not have an associated risk of cancer. Although the chromium compound (or compounds) responsible for disease have yet to be identified, there is general agreement that hexavalent species are responsible for these diseases and that the trivalent species are not. Hypotheses about the carcinogenicity of specific chromium compounds generally relate to their solubility in body fluids. These hypotheses, however, have generally been produced as a result of toxicologic, not epidemiologic, investigation. Well-designed epidemiologic studies incorporating detailed assessments of worker exposures have the potential to help elucidate causality, identify specific carcinogenic compounds, and quantify risk in humans, eliminating the need to extrapolate from animal data. Although the need for exposure data crucial to this effort was identified in the earliest epidemiologic studies of chromium, such studies have not been conducted. As a result, little more is known today about the relationship between this chemical and disease in humans than was known 40 years ago.

Chromium

“…124,125 Although individual studies suggest the possibility of an excess incidence of cancer at sites outside the lungs (nose, gastrointestinal tract), results from these studies are inconsistent. 104,126 For example, the previous relationship between sinonasal cancer and chromates was complicated by coexposure to sawdust. 127 A review of the chromium data indicated that heterogeneity of reporting and reporting bias precluded the use of meta-analysis to determine the incidence of cancer at sites outside the lung.…”

Welding fumes composition and their effects on blood heavy metals in albino rats

“…As an example, stainless steel (SS) and mild-steel (MS), which form two of the most widely available kinds of electrode wire used, have different elemental compositions. SS fumes contain (Cr and Ni) which were found to be cytotoxic to human pulmonary cells and were related to lung diseases [ 14 , 15 ]. The penetration of all dust particles of Fe, Mn, and Si (nano and micro) into the human body often initiates a natural defense response, which does not only activate macrophages but also results in various inflammatory processes leading to some diseases [ [16] , [17] , [18] ].…”

Feasibility of Biological Effective Monitoring of Chrome Electroplaters to Chromium through Analysis of Serum Malondialdehyde

“…The association between the risk of lung cancer and cumulative Cr (VI) exposure level has been reported in many studies. 23,24 Considering the level of exposure of chrome electroplaters to Cr (VI) in our study, based on risk models introduced by Park, et al , 25 and comparing the concept of acceptable risk criteria introduced by OSHA 26 and the German Committee on Hazardous Substances AGS, 27 the studied workers carried an unacceptable risk.…”