TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR CHROMIUM - Davidborowski.com

CHROMIUM 1322. HEALTH EFFECTS2.3.2 Distribution2.3.2.1 Inhalation ExposureExamination of tissues from Japanese chrome platers and chromate refining workers at autopsy revealedhigher chromium levels in the hilar lymph node, lung, spleen, liver, kidney, and heart, compared tonormal healthy males (Teraoka 1981). Analysis of the chromium concentrations in organs and tissues atautopsy of a man who died of lung cancer 10 years after his retirement from working in a chromateproducing plant for 30 years revealed measurable levels in the brain, pharyngeal wall, lung, liver, aorta,kidney, abdominal rectal muscle, suprarenal gland, sternal bone marrow, and abdominal skin. The levelswere significantly higher than in five controls with no occupational exposure to chromium. The man hadbeen exposed mainly to chromium(VI), with lesser exposure to chromium(III) as the chromite ore (Hyodoet al. 1980). The levels of chromium were higher in the lungs, but not in the liver or kidneys, of autopsyspecimens from 21 smeltery and refinery workers in North Sweden compared with that for a controlgroup of 8 individuals. The amount of enrichment in the lungs decreased as the number of elapsed yearsbetween retirement and death increased (Brune et al. 1980). Tissues from three individuals having lungcancer who were industrially exposed to chromium were examined by Mancuso (1997b). One wasemployed for 15 years as a welder, a second worked for 10.2 years, and a third for 31.8 years in oremilling and preparations and boiler operations. The three cumulative chromium exposures for the threeworkers were 3.45, 4.59, and 11.38 mg/m 3 years, respectively. Tissues from the first worker wereanalyzed 3.5 years after last exposure, the second worker 18 years after, and the third worker 0.6 yearsafter last exposure. All tissues from the three workers had elevated levels of chromium with the possibleexception of neural tissues. Levels were orders of magnitude higher in lungs than other tissues. Thehighest lung level reported was 456 mg/10 g tissue in the first worker, 178 in the second worker, and1,920 for the third worker. There were significant chromium levels in the tissue of the second workereven though he had not been exposed to chromium for 18 years. Chromium concentrations in lungtissues from autopsy samples were 5 times higher in subjects who originated from the Ruhr andDortmund regions of Germany, where emissions of chromium are high, than in subjects from Munsterand vicinity. The lung concentrations of chromium increased with increasing age. Men had twice as highconcentrations of chromium in the lungs than did women, which may reflect the greater potential foroccupational exposure by men, the higher vital capacity of men, and possibly a greater history of smoking(Kollmeier et al. 1990).