Hexavalent Chromium

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) causes lung cancer, damage to the nose, and severe skin allergies. Construction and industrial workers are exposed mostly through welding and cutting stainless steel, chromate coatings and wet cement.

• Construction
• General Industry

Sources

• Welding, cutting and grinding stainless steel and other chromium alloys (stick and flux-core welding usually make more than TIG)
• Removing or sanding chromate paints and primers, common on aircraft, bridges and older steel
• Chrome plating, and making pigments and coatings
• Wet portland cement, which contains small amounts that cause allergic skin reactions (cement dermatitis)

Health effects

• Lung cancer from breathing fume, mist or dust over time
• Nose damage: irritation, sores and even holes in the wall between the nostrils (nasal septum)
• Skin: allergic dermatitis that can last for years, and skin ulcers (“chrome holes”)
• Eye and respiratory irritation, and asthma

OSHA rule in brief

• Permissible exposure limit: 5 micrograms per cubic meter (8-hour average); action level 2.5.
• Employers must assess exposure, use engineering and work practice controls first, and provide respirators where needed.
• Medical surveillance for workers exposed at or above the action level for 30 or more days a year, or with signs of health effects.
• Hygiene: protective clothing, changing areas, and washing facilities when skin or eye contact is possible.
• Separate standards cover construction (1926.1126), general industry (1910.1026) and shipyards (1915.1026). The construction and general industry standards don’t cover exposure to portland cement; cement skin hazards fall under PPE and sanitation rules instead.

Protect yourself when welding

• Use local exhaust (fume extractors) placed close to the arc.
• Keep your head out of the fume plume.
• Choose lower-fume processes, like TIG, where possible.
• In confined or enclosed spaces, ventilate and use the required respirator.
• Wear respiratory protection as required by your employer’s program. See Respirators.

Protect your skin from cement

• Wear alkali-resistant gloves, long sleeves and waterproof boots, with pant legs over the boot tops.
• Wash skin promptly with clean water and pH-neutral soap; don’t use solvents or gasoline.
• Change out of cement-soaked clothes.
• Report rashes early. Once you’re allergic, even small exposures cause reactions. See Skin Disease.

Hygiene

• No eating, drinking or smoking in the work area
• Wash hands and face before breaks
• Change out of contaminated clothes before going home. See Take-Home Contamination

Last updated: October 2, 2026