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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Personal exposure to Sodium Di(Bi) Chromate

2006

I work at a galvanizing factory and come in frequent contact with this yellow liquid formed when we mix the orange/yellow crystal/powder called sodium bi chromate anhydrous.We come in frequent contact with liquid droplets and when spillage on the ground dries up crusty and mixes with the other dust for us to breath in and to be deposited all over through natural air currents. At a temperature of 70 °C the vapours do make me feel lethargic with headaches and sore joints?
I am seeking information on how this might react with the human body?
What compound etc are formed or which reaction could occur under what conditions?
If you have any information or have similar concerns, please contact me.

Jeff Postma
Galvanizing - Australia

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Whether it's chromic acid, chromate, or dichromate . . . whether it's yellow, orange, or amber . . . it's hexavalent chromium and highly toxic, and some governments consider it carcinogenic. You should not be touching it or breathing it, and there are definitely established exposure limits. I leave it to you, who knows your own situation, whether you should contact your employer or a government regulatory agency -- but in either case the mess must be cleaned up, the exposure limited, and my understanding is that you must get a blood test.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006