TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR CHROMIUM - Davidborowski.com

CHROMIUM 922. HEALTH EFFECTSand blood pressure dropped progressively during treatment in the hospital of a 17-year-old male who hadingested 29 mg chromium(VI)/kg as potassium dichromate. He died of cardiac arrest. Autopsy revealedhemorrhages in the anterior papillary muscle of the left ventricle (Clochesy 1984; Iserson et al. 1983).Cardiovascular effects have not been reported at nonlethal doses.No reliable studies were located regarding cardiovascular effects in animals after oral exposure tochromium(VI) compounds. Histological examination revealed no lesions in the hearts of rats exposed to2,040 mg chromium(III)/kg/day as chromium oxide in the diet 5 days/week for 2 years (Ivankovic andPreussmann 1975), or in rats exposed to 0.46 mg chromium(III)/kg/day as chromium acetate in drinkingwater for 2–3 years (Schroeder et al. 1965). Neither of these studies assessed cardiovascular end pointssuch as blood pressure or electrocardiograms.Gastrointestinal Effects. Cases of gastrointestinal effects in humans after oral exposure tochromium(VI) compounds have been reported. In one study, a 14-year-old boy who died after ingesting7.5 mg chromium(VI)/kg as potassium dichromate experienced abdominal pain and vomiting beforedeath. Autopsy revealed gastrointestinal ulceration (Kaufman et al. 1970). In another study, a 44-yearoldman died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage after ingesting 4.1 mg chromium(VI)/kg as chromic acidsolution (Saryan and Reedy 1988). Gastrointestinal burns and hemorrhage have also been described ascontributing to the cause of death of infants who ingested unknown amounts of sodium dichromate (Elliset al. 1982) or ammonium dichromate (Reichelderfer 1968) and a 17-year-old male who ingested .29 mgchromium(VI)/kg as potassium dichromate (Clochesy 1984; Iserson et al. 1983).Some chromium(VI) compounds, such as potassium dichromate and chromium trioxide, are caustic andirritating to mucosal tissue. A 25-year-old woman who drank a solution containing potassium dichromateexperienced abdominal pain and vomited (Goldman and Karotkin 1935). Two people who ate oatmealcontaminated with potassium dichromate became suddenly ill with severe abdominal pain and vomiting,followed by diarrhea (Partington 1950). Acute gastritis developed in a chrome plating worker who hadaccidentally swallowed an unreported volume of a plating fluid containing 300 g chromium trioxide/L.He was treated by hemodialysis, which saved his life (Fristedt et al. 1965).Ingestion of chromium compounds as a result of exposure at the workplace has occasionally producedgastrointestinal effects. In a chrome plating plant where poor exhaust resulted in excessively highconcentrations of chromium trioxide fumes, in addition to symptoms of labored breathing, dizziness,headache, and weakness from breathing the fumes during work, workers experienced nausea and