Press Releases at EMSL

Earlier this year, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) announced that a truck trailer manufacturer had been cited for continued employee exposures to hexavalent chromium.  The repeat violation could cost the company $30,000 in penalties after investigators found that the company exposed a welder to more than 4.6 times the permissible exposure limit to hexavalent chromium and failed to implement feasible engineering controls and work practices to reduce employee exposures.

Hexavalent chromium is a toxic form of the element chromium. Hexavalent chromium compounds are man-made and widely used in many different industries.  Industrial uses include chromate pigments in dyes, paints, inks, and plastics; chromates added as anticorrosive agents to paints, primers, and other surface coatings; and chromic acid electroplated onto metal parts to provide a decorative or protective coating. Hexavalent chromium can also be formed when performing hot work, such as welding on stainless steel or melting chromium metal.

OSHA reports that exposure to hexavalent chromium by workers may cause the following:

• Lung cancer in workers who breathe airborne hexavalent chromium
• Irritation or damage to the nose, throat, and lungs if it is breathed at high levels
• Irritation or damage to the eyes and skin if the material contacts these organs in high concentrations

Helping companies test for hexavalent chromium to prevent occupational exposure and costly fines is EMSL Analytical, Inc. “It has been estimated by OSHA that over 500,000 workers are potentially exposed to  hexavalent chromium in the United States,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “At EMSL, we provide the sampling supplies and testing services to help ensure that workers are not being exposed to unsafe levels that could damage their health and cost their companies tens of thousands of dollars in fines.”

EMSL Analytical has sponsored an educational video about hexavalent chromium that can be seen at: http://youtu.be/1G8bq7rM5w8.

To learn more about this or other indoor air quality (IAQ), environmental, health and safety testing services, please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.

EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of environmental, indoor air quality, consumer product and materials testing services and products for professionals and the general public.  The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.