Industrial Hygiene Research Articles

Pocket Consultant Occupational Health

The five authors of this edition are all authorities in occupational hygiene and occupational health and are affiliated with universities in South Africa, Canada, the USA and the UK. Two of them are emeritus. According to previous editions this book is intended for use by occupational health professionals, including occupational physicians, anywhere in the world. From its long-standing history (first edition published in 1983), I infer that this book was first meant to be kept in your pocket to have it at hand when you encounter a problem in practice. With the current edition with almost 500 pages this is not possible anymore. The book counts 20 chapters covering occupational health topics that vary from sampling strategies for exposure measurement to ethical aspects of occupational health. It deals both with topics of occupational medicine such as the diagnosis of occupational disease and of occupational hygiene such as risk assessment. The range of topics makes the book valuable for all occupational health professionals.

Chromium toxicity among leather industry workers in Kolkata-A pilot Study

Introduction: Chromium (Cr) exposure is known to cause various health issues such as cancer, dermatitis, respiratory problems, etc. The recent exposure of Cr can be determined by analysis of Cr either in blood/urine/plasma, Cr (III) ions cannot permeate through cell membranes of red blood cells (RBC) because their ionic radii are bigger as compared to Cr (VI), and hence Cr in RBC is an indicator for exposure to Cr (VI) ions. The purpose of this study was to investigate chromium exposure, hygienic habits and the occurrence of dermatological problems with leather industry workers in Kolkata. Methods: A total of 68 leather industry workers with minimum work exposure of five years and aged between 18-60 years were recruited for this study. The study protocol included a questionnaire and analysis of Cr in blood and urine samples by GF-AAS. Results: All values were under the Biological Exposure Index (BEI) of 25µg /L at the end of the shift of a five-day work week recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (AcGIH). 15.2% of subjects suffered from dermatological problems at least once in the last year during work in the leather industry. Conclusion: It was found that leather industry workers were not using personal protective equipment and it must be promoted to them for occupational health and safety.

The use of ‘poisonous insecticidal solutions’ in bookbinding: coping with historic pesticide treatments in the archive

Records from a popular series at The National Archives were found to bear warning labels that they have been bound using a ‘poisonous insecticidal solution’. Research into historic sources suggested that the agents used by bookbinders in the early twentieth century were mercuric chloride, copper sulphate, and beechwood creosote; these may have been replaced by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) mid-century. Analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of mercury in labelled, bound items. A number of OCPs were detected using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCMS) including DDT, gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (Lindane, γ-HCH), Dieldrin, pentachlorophenol (PCP), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and 1-chloronaphthalene (1-CP). Tests confirmed the presence of these agents on all items tested regardless of format (e.g. tagged files and bound volumes) or period of creation, suggesting the OCPs were introduced to the items after the binding process. An occupational hygienist (OH) consultancy was engaged to carry out in-situ air monitoring during production, digitisation, and general handling of the items. Risk assessments were developed based on the results, allowing readers and staff to once again access the collection with safety measures including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Artificial Intelligence Model Based on Grey Clustering to Access Quality of Industrial Hygiene: A Case Study in Peru

Industrial hygiene is a preventive technique that tries to avoid professional illnesses and damage to health caused by several possible toxic agents. The purpose of this study is to simultaneously analyze different risk factors (body vibration, lighting, heat stress and noise), to obtain an overall risk assessment of these factors and to classify them on a scale of levels of Unacceptable, Not recommended or Acceptable. In this work, an artificial intelligence model based on the grey clustering method was applied to evaluate the quality of industrial hygiene. The grey clustering method was selected, as it enables the integration of objective factors related to hazards present in the workplace with subjective employee evaluations. A case study, in the three warehouses of a beer industry in Peru, was developed. The results obtained showed that the warehouses have an acceptable level of quality. These results could help industries to make decisions about conducting evaluations of the different occupational agents and determine whether the quality of hygiene represents a risk, as well as give certain recommendations with respect to the factors presented.

Assessment of safety control measures for centralized Chlorine gas system

As a glove manufacturing plant, the chemical is one of the most highly used materials. Some chemicals impact human health, environmental aspects, and physical hazards such as highly flammable gas. Chlorine gas is one of them. Besides the accidental release of chlorine gas incidents, ill-health issues are another aspect that should be taken care of. This study aims to determine the current chlorine concentration at a centralized chlorine gas manifold system in a rubber glove manufacturing plant and evaluate the existing safety control measures. A concept of safety by design, inherently safety, and the fail-safe system was considered during the study. The results show that the chlorine concentration level during drum replacement by the crew is at an average of 1.154 ppm and the standard deviation at 0.3478. The highest concentration was at 1.8 ppm. The wet scrubber assessment was done using the Industrial Ventilation and visual assessments and measurements within the system, including capture velocity, face velocity, and duct velocity or transport velocity. Other assessed parameters are total pressure, static pressure, and velocity pressure. The assessment found that the duct performance for all parameters complies with a minimum requirement of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) guidelines.

On the Issue of Organizing Hygienic Education of the Population in the Russian Federation: Historical Aspects

Introduction: Hygienic education and training of the population are the mechanisms of interaction with the population of the Russian Federation recognized by the scientific community, contributing to the improvement of the culture of health in the society, the level of which has an impact on the sanitary and epidemiological situation and demographic indicators of the country. One of the most important components of hygiene training nowadays is the procedure of occupational hygiene training and certification aimed at constant improvement of the level and quality of knowledge in the field of hygiene and epidemiology among employees of epidemiologically significant facilities. Objective: To consider prerequisites for the development of the system of hygienic training in the Russian Federation and to substantiate the importance of maintaining occupational hygiene training and certification in view of the experience gained. Materials and methods: We have searched Scopus, Web of Science, CyberLeninka, RSCI, and eLIBRARY.RU for recent papers with the non-zero Hirsch index (h-index) and/or the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) using the following keywords: health education, hygienic education, and hygienic upbringing. We then selected 45 materials published in 1997–2022 (60 % of them – over the past five years) and containing the above keywords in the title. Results: The article considers historical aspects of the development of such methods of disease prevention as health education accompanying the formation of the sanitary and epidemiological service in the country. It shows that the pivotal points contributing to further legislative regulation of occupational hygiene training and certification in Russia were such historical milestones as wartime and urbanization, which entailed so-called “public health crises”. It also substantiates the relevance of the currently existing system of occupational hygiene training and certification, describing its further development paths determined with account for digitalization of the information space in the Russian Federation, and of implementation of specific tasks aimed at improving the demographic situation in the country.

A recommender system for occupational hygiene services using natural language processing

Although recommender systems have been used in a wide variety of products, they have not had the same adoption in the insurance sector due to the particular aspects of the industry. The present research proposes a novel model that uses natural language processing techniques and a deep learning-based model to recommend occupational hygiene services. The results of ranking methods showed that the model combining memorization and generalization of companies’ activities preferences performed better compared to other models. These findings have significant implications for decision-making as they can improve the welfare of both companies and workers, while also limiting the options offered to clients based on their unique profiles.

Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects of carotenoid pigment extracted from Rhodotorula glutinis strain on food-borne bacteria.

Carotenoid pigments are among the most important pigments and have many applications in various food, cosmetics, hygiene industries and biotechnology. These pigments are produced by plants and microorganisms including Rhodotorula spp. This research intended to study the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of the carotenoid pigment from Rhodotorula glutinis on food spoilage bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhimurium). The R. glutinis was isolated from milk samples of cows with mastitis and ITS sequence-based typing was performed on them. After extracting the pigment from R. glutinis, its purity was examined using thin-layer chromatography. Following that, the broth microdilution method was used to evaluate antimicrobial effects of the pigment and MtP assay and subsequently scanning electron microscopy were used to assess the antibiofilm effects. In addition, the sub-MIC effects of the pigment on expression of quorum-sensing (QS) genes in S. Typhimurium isolates (sdiA and luxS) and S. aureus isolates (hld) were studied. Finally, the degree of toxicity of the pigment was analyzed using the MTT assay. ITS sequence analysis of R. glutinis revealed that the recently separated isolates exhibited strong differences with the strains recorded in NCBI database in genetic structure. The pigment produced by R. glutinis had strong antimicrobial effects and its mean MIC against S. Typhimurium isolates (17.0 μl.ml-1) was higher than the mean MIC against the S. aureus isolates (4.1 μl.ml-1). Electron microscope images and real-time observations indicated that the sub-MIC values of the pigment suppressed biofilm formation by suppressing expression of QS genes. In addition, the mentioned pigment at high MIC concentrations did not have toxic effects on Vero cells. This research suggests that R. glutinis pigment is effective in destroying the planktonic form of food spoilage bacteria and degrading food spoilage biofilm-forming bacteria. Moreover, considering the low toxicity level of R. glutinis pigment for eukaryotic cells, we can suggest its use as a natural antibacterial preservative in various food materials.

Pleural Plaques and the Role of Exposure to Mineral Particles in the Asbestos Post-exposure Survey

Previous studies have inconsistently reported associations between refractory ceramic fibers (RCFs) or mineral wool fibers (MWFs) and the presence of pleural plaques. All these studies were based on chest radiographs, known to be associated with a poor sensitivity for the diagnosis of pleural plaques. Does the risk of pleural plaques increase with cumulative exposure to RCFs, MWFs, and silica? If the risk does increase, do these dose-response relationships depend on the co-exposure to asbestos or, conversely, are the dose-response relationships for asbestos modified by co-exposure to RCFs, MWFs, and silica? Volunteer workers were invited to participate in a CT scan screening program for asbestos-related diseases in France. Asbestos exposure was assessed by industrial hygienists, and exposure to RCFs, MWFs, and silica was determined by using job-exposure matrices. A cumulative exposure index (CEI) was then calculated for each subject and separately for each of the four mineral particle exposures. All available CT scans were submitted to randomized double reading by a panel of radiologists. In this cohort of 5,457 subjects, significant dose-response relationships were determined after adjustment for asbestos exposure between CEI to RCF or MWF and the risk of PPs (ORs of 1.29 [95%CI, 1.00-1.67] and 1.84 [95%CI, 1.49-2.27] for the highest CEI quartile, respectively). Significant interactions were found between asbestos on one hand and MWF or RCF on the other. This study suggests the existence of a significant association between exposure to RCFs and MWFs and the presence of pleural plaques in a large population previously exposed to asbestos and screened by using CT scans.

The past and future of industrial hygiene in Japan.

The past and future of industrial hygiene in Japan.

Seroprevalence of Q Fever and Risk Factors Affecting Transmission of Coxiella burnetii in Industrial Slaughterhouse; A Survey from Northeastern Iran

Background: Q fever is a generally neglected infection caused by Coxiella burnetii. Slaughterhouse workers exposed to livestock are among occupationally at-risk people. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of anti-Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) IgG antibody among industrial slaughterhouse workers and factors affecting the risk of infection. Methods: In this cross-sectional study serum samples were taken from 91 individuals working at the central industrial abattoir in Mashhad, Iran using a convenient sampling method. Sera were kept at -80°C until assayed for specific anti-Coxiella burnetii IgG antibodies (phase 1) using the commercial ELISA kit. The participants filled out a checklist addressing potential risk factors of acquiring the infection. SPSS 11.5 was used for data analysis considering a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: The participants’ mean age was 38.7 ± 8 years. Fifty-six percent of the studied individuals (51 out of 91) were found positive for anti-Coxiella burnetii antibodies. The most prevalent cases were sheep (29, 57%) and cow (18, 35%) butchers. The odds of Q fever infection increased among those with a history of accidental hand cuts of more than five times during the previous years (OR = 2.56, CI95% = 1.02 - 6.33, P-value = 0.04) and those dealing with sheep as the primary livestock (OR = 2.9, CI95% = 1.09 - 7.66, P = 0.02). Conclusions: The high seropositivity rate of anti-Coxiella burnetii IgG reflects high exposure rate of workers to this potentially serious pathogen in slaughtherhouses; therefore, careful education, follow-up, and revision of decontamination policies and improved occupational care and environmental hygiene should be strictly implemented in slaughterhouses to reduce the risk.

Malignant mesothelioma in two married couples exposed to asbestos

the relationship between past asbestos exposure and the onset of malignant mesothelioma (MM) is well established. However, defining the exposure is not always easy, as it occurs decades before the onset of the disease. this report describes four cases of MM diagnosed in two different married couples, both exposed to asbestos fibers: husbands at work and wives for cohabiting and washing their work overalls. case report. the information was collected through interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed by occupational hygienists during the activity of epidemiological surveillance of this disease. The results of the mineral content of asbestos fibers performed on lung parenchymal from one of the female cases are available. these two cases show a longer latency in the lesser exposed confirming what an occupational epidemiological study has recently highlighted. whenever good quality information collected during interviews are available, skilled occupational hygienists are able to reconstruct past exposures in quali-quantitative terms.

Hearing Conservation Programme Costs at Selected South African Companies.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993 and its attending Regulations in South Africa, require employers to conduct cost analysis studies to inform decision-making related to exposure control for occupational health hazard such as noise. Cost analysis, as per South African National Standard/ISO 31000 risk assessment guideline, is an important input for the decision-making process of the risk management process. The costs of administrating a hearing conservation programme intended to minimise noise-induced hearing loss is an example of a cost analysis. This study enrolled four companies from the South African manufacturing and utilities sectors with the aim of establishing whether cost analysis is included during the noise risk assessment process; and determining administration costs of HCP administration. A HCP cost questionnaire was completed by each company's occupational hygiene professionals and risk officers. None of the companies in the study included cost analysis in their respective risk assessment processes. The overall costs, derived from the HCP cost item questionnaire, was much greater for Company A (4 290 014 Rands) than all of the other companies combined (970 685 Rands). Hearing protection device expenditures across the four companies were the greatest expense, while audiometry was the smallest expense owing to service internalisation. The HCP expenditures are incurred on periodic basis, yearly or biennial, and are internalised in companies as direct costs. Cost analysis can enhance the noise risk assessment process by providing additional input to support the decision-making process related to noise control. This challenges the occupational hygiene profession to pursue new frontiers and decision-making models in the scope of noise risk management, beyond noise measurements and hearing protection device use recommendation.

Comparative characteristics of indicators of the psychophysiological state of emergency staff and icu departments

At present, there is a tendency towards an increase in emotional problems everywhere, this especially affects the working-age population – relationships in a team, professional work process – all this leads to the development of production-related stress. Health care workers are at the forefront of risk of developing stress reactions and its consequences. This is most pronounced in the specialties providing emergency medical care, among employees of ambulance teams and departments of anesthesiology and resuscitation.The aim of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the psychophysiological state of emergency medical staff and departments of anesthesiology and resuscitation.Materials and methods. The study involved 67 people – employees of ambulance teams and resuscitation and intensive care units in Saratov. To obtain the necessary data, all participants filled out questionnaires – the PSM-25 psychological stress scale, the HADS hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the symptomatic questionnaire by A. Volkova and N. Vodopyanova.Results. When questioned using the PSM-25 scale, which assesses mental tension, it was found that more than half of the respondents have a high level of stress, while the indicator of mental tension among ambulance workers is statistically significantly higher than among employees of intensive care units and intensive care units. An analysis of the HADS ques tionnaire showed that the vast majority of respondents, both in ambulance teams and in intensive care units, have a high level of anxiety and depression. In the study using the symptomatic questionnaire A. Volkova and N. Vodopyanova noted a high predisposition to the development of pathological stress reactions in most of the respondents.Conclusion. Doctors in the specialties we study are characterized by long-term chronic stress, which can lead to the development of anxiety, depression, and pathological stress reactions. To avoid the occurrence of the conditions described above, it is important to adjust the work schedule of employees in time, to observe occupational and rest hygiene.

Accuracy of professional judgments for dermal exposure assessment using deterministic models

ABSTRACT The accuracy of exposure judgments, particularly for scenarios where only qualitative information is available or a systematic approach is not used, have been evaluated and shown to have a relatively low level of accuracy. This is particularly true for dermal exposures, where less information is generally available compared to inhalation exposures. Relatively few quantitative validation efforts have been performed for scenarios where dermal exposures are of interest. In this study, a series of dermal exposure judgments were collected from 90 volunteer U.S. occupational health practitioners in a workshop format to assess the accuracy of their judgments for three specific scenarios. Accuracy was defined as the ability of the participants to identify the correct reference exposure category, as defined by the quantitative exposure banding categories utilized by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). The participants received progressively additional information and training regarding dermal exposure assessments and scenario-specific information during the workshop, and the relative accuracy of their category judgments over time was compared. The results of the study indicated that despite substantial education and training in exposure assessment generally, the practitioners had very little experience in performing dermal exposure assessments and a low level of comfort in performing these assessments. Further, contrary to studies of practitioners performing inhalation exposure assessments demonstrating a trend towards underestimating exposures, participants in this study consistently overestimated the potential for dermal exposure without quantitative data specific to the scenario of interest. Finally, it was found that participants were able to identify the reference or “true” category of dermal exposure acceptability when provided with relevant, scenario-specific dermal and/or surface loading data for use in the assessment process. These results support the need for additional training and education of practitioners in performing dermal exposure assessments. A closer analysis of default loading values used in dermal exposure assessments to evaluate their accuracy relative to real-world or measured dermal loading values, along with consistent improvements in current dermal models, is also needed.

Occupational health and safety status of waste and sanitation workers: A qualitative exploration during the COVID-19 pandemic across Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, cities produce huge volumes of solid waste, sewage, and greywater with limited resources to manage it. Waste and sanitation workers, key players in managing waste, are continuously exposed to different health hazards in their work due to lack of occupational safety and basic protections. This vulnerability has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Focusing on workers’ experiences and everyday working realities, this study sought to assess the organizational capacity, gaps, and challenges of local waste management authorities during COVID-19. It also sought to deepen understanding of job arrangements, occupational safety, hygiene knowledge, and practices of these waste workers at their workplace. A qualitative study was conducted consisting of 61 key informant interviews with seven categories of local officials and 50 in-depth interviews with five categories of waste and sanitation workers in 10 cities of Bangladesh. An inductive content analysis approach was adopted. The results showed that COVID-19 had aggravated the existing waste management challenges and imposed severe health risks on waste workers. Respective conservancy departments lagged behind due to lack of safe cleaning methods and equipment, and limited funds for waste worker training, which ultimately led to poor occupational safety for workers. This vulnerable worker group lacked basic job facilities, received poor payment and insufficient protective equipment, and rarely had any health support from their employers. Also, they were not provided with an adequate understanding of occupational safety and health hygiene; and no appropriate handwashing facilities at their workplace to tackle infectious diseases like COVID-19. The study investigated this countercomplaint and discussed the current arrangements from the prespective of both city authorities and waste workers. The study recommended more automated waste collectors and compositors for the conservancy departments, increased active monitoring, work benefits, safety equipment for waste workers, and tailored training to eradicate work-related health hazards and injuries.

Occupational Health and Safety among Female Commercial Sex Workers in Ghana: A Qualitative Study

The topic of occupational health and safety (OHS) has been investigated for many years and continues to be a concept often researched today. Generally speaking, OHS research has been centered around food safety, construction safety, transportation safety, fire safety, drug and alcohol testing, health and medical management, and industrial hygiene, to name a few. However, the concept of OHS concerning female commercial sex workers (FCSWs) has rarely been investigated, often neglected, seldom discussed, and is lacking in sound research. Although regarded as the “oldest profession”, commercial sex work (CSW) has consistently been ignored, disregarded, and under-researched due to the illegality and stigmatization of prostitution. This paper reviews occupational safety and health issues faced by FCSWs in Tema and Accra, Ghana, through in-depth interviews, visits to women’s homes, fieldwork, informal conversations, and observations with FCSWs during the summer of May 2012–July 2012. Facets of OHS that emerged among FCSWs included: sexually transmissible infections, risks associated with harassment and violence from police and clients, alcohol and drug use, irregular hospital visits or lack of hospital visits, immigration issues, legal hazards, and working conditions. We argue that CSW be viewed as an occupation in great need of interventions to reduce workplace risks.

The history of the Department of Occupational Hygiene of the Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman” of Rospotrebnadzor

The history of the creation of the Department of Occupational Hygiene of the Federal Scientific Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman of Rospotrebnadzor dates back to 1942, when the subject of scientific research was devoted to the study of sanitary working conditions at defense industry enterprises and the development of personal protective equipment for workers. By 1950, the range of issues under study was expanded with initiation of the comprehensive clinical and hygienic studies in the mining, chemical industries, mechanical engineering and agriculture using hygienic, physiological, biochemical research methods, animal experiments. In 1960-1990, the research was carried out in areas including the study of working conditions, workers’ health and toxicological assessment of new substances in the chemical industry, study of the dust factor and occupational health issues in the coal and mining industries; study of the effects on the body of working physical factors (noise, vibration, ultrasound, magnetic fields) in industry and agriculture, study of working conditions, working and rest regimes with new technological processes and new forms of labour management. During the period of 1957-2001, employees of the Occupational Health Department developed 14 sanitary rules (SP) and sanitary rules and regulations (SanPiN), hygienic norms of infrasound and vibration in the workplace. Maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) in the air of the working area for 42 harmful substances, maximum permissible levels (MPC) of skin contamination of workers for 17 chemicals have been developed and approved, the toxicity of 35 different compounds has been studied. According to the results of the research, 45 candidate’s and 18 doctoral dissertations were defended. In the modern period, the accumulated experience of effective scientific activity of the Department of Occupational Hygiene has been mastered .and implemented by a new generation of researchers of the Department of Occupational Medicine of the Institute of Complex Hygiene Problems of the "Federal Research Center of Hygiene named after F.F. Erisman" of Rospotrebnadzor.

A harmonized protocol for an international multicenter prospective study of nanotechnology workers: the NanoExplore cohort

Nanotechnology applications are fast-growing in many industrial fields. Consequently, health effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) should be investigated. Within the EU-Life project NanoExplore, we developed a harmonized protocol of an international multicenter prospective cohort study of workers in ENM-producing companies. This article describes the development of the protocol, sample size calculation, data collection and management procedures and discusses its relevance with respect to research needs. Within this protocol, workers’ ENM exposure will be assessed over four consecutive working days during the initial recruitment campaign and the subsequent follow-up campaigns. Biomonitoring using noninvasive sampling of exhaled breath condensate (EBC), exhaled air, and urine will be collected before and after 4-day exposure monitoring. Both exposure and effect biomarkers, will be quantified along with pulmonary function tests and diagnosed diseases reported using a standardized epidemiological questionnaire available in four languages. Until now, this protocol was implemented at seven companies in Switzerland, Spain and Italy. The protocol is well standardized, though sufficiently flexible to include company-specific conditions and occupational hygiene measures. The recruitment, to date, of 140 participants and collection of all data and samples, enabled us launching the first international cohort of nanotechnology workers. All companies dealing with ENMs could join the NanoExplore Consortium, apply this harmonized protocol and enter in the cohort, concieved as an open cohort. Its protocol meets all requirements of a hypotheses-driven prospective study, which will assess and reassess effects of ENM exposure on workers’ health by updating the follow-up of the cohort. New hypothesis could be also considered.

Increasing the level of safety and occupational hygiene during the ecologically oriented processing of leather industry waste and the peculiarities of their microstructure

The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the microstructure of cinders from leather industry waste. This is necessary for the use of the obtained material as a chromium-containing raw material for the production of alloying additives by aluminothermic melting. To achieve this goal, a complex of the latest research methods was applied using raster electron microscopy together with X-ray microanalysis to determine the chemical composition of the target areas of the surface of the samples. Thanks to the successfully conducted stages of research, significant results were obtained with the determination that the cinder microstructure was disordered, porous and consisted of separated particles of different shapes and sizes. The oxide nature of the majority of the components is due to the detection of oxygen in the analysis areas in the range of 14.04-25.12 %wt. In the studied areas, the chromium content was at a relatively high level — from 59.49 %wt. up to 74.64 %wt. Of the refractory elements, vanadium was also present in the amount of 0.18-0.29 %wt. The iron content ranged from 0.41 to 0.62 %wt. At the same time, some content of accompanying impurities Ca, Mg, Al, Na, Si, Cl, Mn, K, as well as S and P was found in the cinder — in the amount of 0.55-1.52 %wt. and 0.12-0.21 %wt. in accordance. This made it possible to draw a number of important practical conclusions that the obtained product requires the use of aluminothermic refining smelting for further effective use as an alloying chromium-containing additive. At the same time, cinders from leather production waste can be added instead of part of the chromium-containing ore concentrate when smelting ferrochrome. At the same time, the processing and return to production of technogenic waste from leather production ensures an increase in the level of safety and occupational hygiene, a reduction in environmental stress in industrialized areas, a reduction in environmental pollution and an increase in the safety of life.