Chromium in the Canadian environment

Abstract

The widening use of chromium and its compounds by local industries has led to a growing concern about the effects of chromium contamination on the Canadian environment. This report summarizes the data on Canadian sources and the concentrations of chromium in air, water, sediments, soil, terrestrial wildlife and aquatic biota. It reviews what little is currently known about the cycling of chromium in Canadian ecoystems, and the need for measuring Cr(II1) and Cr(V1) rather than total Cr in the environmental media is emphasized. The potential effects of elevated levels of chromium on plants, soil microorganisms, wildlife, and aquatic biota are discussed. Th6 human health effects are not covered. The conclusion is reached that chromium pollution has become a threat to Canadian ecosystems, especially at the local scale where the ambient chromium concentrations in some surface waters, sediments, and soils are now close to or above the toxicity threshold for a number of the more sensistive organisms.

Identification of Individual Aerosol Particles Containing Cr, Pb, and Zn above the North Sea

“…After the clustering, several different Cr-containing particle types were detected, embodying a variety of compositions, but some frequently occurring types could be identified. More than 10 million tons of chromite (FeOCr 2 O 3 ), the only economically important Cr mineral, is used globally each year, divided over three main industries: 76% for metallurgical, 13% for refractory, and 11% for chemical applications (26). All sectors are dominated by the appearance of Fe-Cr particles, sometimes in combination with other elements.…”

“…Metallic Cr is used primarily in nonferrous alloys, where the use of less expensive ferrochromium alloys can introduce undesirable amounts of Fe (26). It is possible that this is partly an artifact of the clustering, which incorporated pure Cr particles into groups with high Cr content.…”

Partitioning Of Some Trace Metals in Floodplain Soil in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria.

“…Taking for instance, lead causes cancer, damage the brain and kidneys and ultimately death [7]. Cadmium causes kidney disease, lung damage, and fragile bones [8]. During transportation, trace metals undergo numerous changes in their speciation due to dissolution, precipitation, sorption and complexation phenomena [6] which affect their behaviour and bioavailability.…”

Trace Metals Speciation in Floodplain Soil in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria

“…The total concentration of cadmium in the fractions though minimal must also be monitored considering the fact that it is relatively mobile in solution and has no nutritional benefit to both plants and animals [17]. Exchangeable and carbonate fractions accounted for 52.62% (25.86 + 26.76)% which accumulated parts of trace metals that are mobile, soluble in anoxic environment and readily available to biota.…”