Unsafe Chromium and Its Environmental Impact Assessment

Most of the chromite mines are located in Orissa. It increases the economic status of our country, but adversely reduces the ecological cover. Chromium and its compounds are exclusively used in chromium based industries such as leather tanning, textiles, metallurgical industries, mechanical and mining engineering industries, chemical and metal finishing industries, ferrochrome, pigments, electroplating and photography. These generate considerable quantity of toxic chromium pollutants which contaminates 6000-18000 mg/kg (ppm) of total chromium (including hexavalent chromium) in air, water and soil environment. This chromium pollution produces adverse health effects on the workers and those people who are exposed in the vicinity. They suffer from chromium based diseases such as chromium poisoning, ulcer, allergic dermatitis, lung cancer, lever necrosis, brain damage, premature death, lever and kidney problems. Several countries have initiated regulatory measures to control chromium pollution, but Indian companies have not initiated so far. It is essential to evolve control and preventive measures which are to be taken at the planning stages in these industries as prevention is better than cure, very little or nothing can be done if the toxic chromium reaches the air, water and soil environment. In these industries, workers must be provided with personal protection equipments, adequate safety guards and devices. It is to be ensured that Worker's Compensation Law and Occupational Disease Law must be enacted in these industries. Experience has shown that approximately 80% of all industrial disasters are preventable (2006). In this paper how chromium exposure can lead to the toxic effects on health of the people and necessary proactive steps to eliminate chromium pollution through case studies have been provided.