Chromium is a naturally occurring element that has been determined to be a human carcinogen.
Keyword:
color
Keyword:
mineral
Keyword:
element
Keyword:
carcinogen
Citation of a publication:
Reference: National Bureau of Standards
(U.S.), Circular. 539 (1955) p5.
Authors: Swanson, H.E.; Gilfrich,N.T.;
Ugrinic,G.M.
Layman's explanation:
Chromium was discovered in 1797 by Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin but, it was not recognized as a mineral until 1981. The word chromium is derived from chroma which means color in Greek. This mineral is blue-white in color, brittle, resistant to corrosion and has no taste or odor. It is found in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Turkey, Iran, Albania, Finland, the Democratic Republic of Madagascar, and in the Philippines. The two other common forms of the element chromium are chromium (III) and chromium (IV). Chromium (III) is an essential nutrient that occurs naturally in the environment and helps the body use sugar, protein, and fat. Chromium is used in its many forms to produce numerous goods such as chrome-steel or chrome-nickel-steel (stainless steel) alloys, chrome plating, dyes, pigments, and is used in leather tanning and wood preservation. It is also used as a tracer in various blood diseases and in the determination of blood volumes. The World Health Organization has determined and listed that chromium is a human carcinogen or cancer causing. Air exposure may lead to ulcerations of the skin and respiratory passages. If ingested chromium may cause severe irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, circulatory shock, renal damage, convulsions, liver damage, and in the most extreme cases, death.
IUPAC name:
Chromium
Lab name:
Common molecules
Sample provider:
Obtained from the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database
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