California Seeks to Ban Toxic Chemical That Makes Cars Shine Due to Environmental, Health Risk

Hexavalent chromium contains a toxic chemical that has been responsible for giving vehicles and other products their shine for decades already. Now, California is proposing to ban the chemical which gives chrome its classic glow. The potential exclusion of chromium in the Golden State has drawn a mixture of positive and negative reactions, especially amongst environmentalists and the chrome plating industry.

The metallic element chromium is a natural component of Earth found in animals, plans, rocks, soil, volcanic dust, and gases, according to the National Institutes of Health. The abundant supply of chrome has made it a primary part of the plating industry manufactured for various consumer products, ranging from automobile bumpers, airplane landing gear, and kitchen faucets.

What is Hexavalent Chromium?

(Photo : RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images)
An industrial robot cleans a plastic automobile bumper with high pressure carbon dioxide gas ahead to painting at the Volkswagen car factory in Wolfsburg, central Germany, on May 19, 2017. German car maker Volkswagen (VW) unveiled as part of a media tour its Think Blue Factory environmental and sustainability program.

Hexavalent chromium is one of the levels of the element chromium, with an indicator of "CR(VI)" or "6+" as symbol and is usually produced by an industrial process, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), which is under the United States Department of Labor. Despite its widespread usage, the chromium targets the kidney, liver, respiratory system, skin, and eyes.

OSHA highlights that chromium metal is poured to alloy steel to increase strength and corrosion resistance. For workers, a major source of exposure to Cr(VI) occurs during "hot work" such as handling stainless steel and other alloy steels which contains the hazardous element. In general, chrome is mainly used as a decorative or protective surface coating.

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Toxic Chemical

Amid these risks, the US government agency California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued a proposal to ban the use of so-called "chrome-6" in decorative plating by the year 2027, arguing the health hazards posed by the plating process are carried by some individuals in low-income communities, the Los Angeles Times reported.

If approved, the state will also prohibit the chemical's industrial use, including anti-corrosive coating by the year 2039. The CARB will held a hearing about the matter in Riverside, California called January 26 and 27, 2023 Board Meeting Agenda.

Currently, California has more than 110 chrome-plating facilities and over 70% of them are situated in disadvantaged communities, the LA Times reported.

Chrome Plating Industry

The California government proposal has drawn praise from clean air advocates or enthusiasts but has also sent an earthquake to the state's auto restoration and customization industries, which uses hexavalent chromium.

The chrome plating industry also expressed concerns that the move could result in job losses since businesses will be forced to leave California and one of them includes Bryan Leiker, the executive director of Metal Finishing Assn. of California, as cited by the LA Times.

In addition to health risks, experts in the past have also highlighted the dangers of the chemical element in question. In 2018, a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found groundwater resources in California are at high-risk from hexavalent chromium contamination, primarily due to industrial operations, natural geology, and potentially, land use.