Chromium(VI) compounds – inhalable fraction. Determining in workplace air with ionic chromatography

Abstract

The metallurgical, mining and tanning industries are, among others, very important sources of chromium compounds emission to the environment. Moreover, chromium is widely used in the production of dyes, pigments, paints and wood preservatives. Welding processes are one of the sources of exposure to chromium compounds under occupational conditions. Long-term occupational exposure to Cr(VI) chromium compounds increases the risk of developing lung or nasal cancer. The aim of the study was to develop a method for selective determination of Cr(VI) compounds in the workplace air with a combination of ion chromatography technique and post-column derivatisation. The method is based on separating the inhalable fraction of chromium(VI) compounds on a filter using an I.O.M. type probe, extraction with 10 mL of 2% sodium hydroxide/3% sodium carbonate solution and further analysis with ionic chromatography with a post-column reaction of Cr(VI) with 1.5-diphenyl carbazide (DPC) and spectrophotometric determination of the formed Cr(VI)-DPC complex. The measuring range for chromium (VI) compounds is 0.072–1.44 µg/mL. Precision, chromium recovery from filters, limit of detection and quantification were calculated. The overall uncertainty was 12.2 %. The expanded uncertainty for Cr(VI) was 24.3%. The developed method enables the separation and quantification of Cr(VI) compounds in the presence of Cr(III) compounds in air samples (avoiding adverse reactions of one form of chromium to another) at a level of 0.0009 mg/m3 for Cr(VI) compounds converted into Cr at 720-L intake of air. The procedure for determining chromium(VI) compounds is included in the annex.