Molecular Basis of Chromium toxicity: the Role of Glutathione

The Los Angeles Times cites the hexavalent chromium as one of the most dangerous toxic contaminants in California\u27s air.1 Estimates from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) indicate that every year 380,000 U.S. industrial workers are exposed to hexavalent chromium on the job, mainly through inhalation. Hexavalent chromium, in the form of dichromate, is used in chrome plating, stainless steel welding and the production of chromate pigments and dyes. In these settings, chromium dust is released into the air where it can be inhaled by workers. The presence of these chromium dust particles result in the air becoming toxic in areas where many of these plants are present. This dangerous hexavalent molecule is also often recognized in popular culture as a toxic metal, partly due to the 2000 Oscar-award winning film Erin Brockovich