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Chromium

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Kanerva’s Occupational Dermatology

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1 Core Messages

  • Hexavalent chromium (salt) is a form of chromium responsible for sensitization and contact dermatitis in chromate allergy.

  • Exposure to chromium is often occupational and is commonly seen among building workers handling cement, leather workers, electroplaters, welders, and painters.

  • Addition of ferrous sulfate has reduced the incidence of chromate allergy in the Scandinavian countries, since it decreases the concentration of hexavalent chromate in cement.

  • Simple office-based tests are helpful in detecting chromium in objects.

  • Patch testing with chromate (in chromium-sensitive subjects) to detect the minimum elicitation threshold (MET) is best done by using serial dilutions of Cr(III) and Cr(VI).

  • Chromium can cause lipid peroxidation, nephrotoxicity, and affect the immune system.

  • Reduction or elimination of exposure is the best method for prevention of chromium-induced contact allergy.

2 Chromium

Chromium is a metallic element commonly found in the environment. Cement was...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    John Havens Cary

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Howard I. Maibach, Desmond Burrows & Jurij J. Hostynek

Authors
  1. John Havens Cary
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  2. Howard I. Maibach
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  3. Desmond Burrows
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  4. Jurij J. Hostynek
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to John Havens Cary or Howard I. Maibach .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Swen Malte John

  2. Department of Dermato-allergology, Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark

    Jeanne Duus Johansen

  3. Dept. of Dermatology and Allergology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Thomas Rustemeyer

  4. Dept. of Dermatology and Allergology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Thüringen, Germany

    Peter Elsner

  5. Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Cary, J.H., Maibach, H.I., Burrows, D., Hostynek, J.J. (2018). Chromium. In: John, S., Johansen, J., Rustemeyer, T., Elsner, P., Maibach, H. (eds) Kanerva’s Occupational Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40221-5_44-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40221-5_44-2

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