Chromium and your Children's Health

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This section discusses potential health effects from exposures during the period from conception to maturity at 18 years of age in humans.

Children who live near wastes sites where chromium is found are likely to be exposed to higher environmental levels of chromium through breathing, touching soil, and eating contaminated soil. Children at age five years or younger have higher levels of chromium in their urine than do adults and children living outside of contaminated areas. Very few studies have looked at how chromium can affect the health of children. Children need small amounts of chromium(III) for normal growth and development. It is likely that the health effects seen in children exposed to high amounts of chromium will be similar to the effects seen in adults. We do not know whether children differ from adults in their susceptibility to chromium.

We do not know if exposure to chromium will result in birth defects or other developmental effects in people. Birth defects have been observed in animals exposed to chromium(VI). Death, skeletal deformities, and impaired development of the reproductive system have been observed in the newborn babies of animals that swallowed chromium(VI). Additional animal studies are needed to determine whether exposure to chromium(III) will result in birth defects.

One animal study showed that more chromium(III) will enter the body of a newborn than an adult. We do not know if this is also true for chromium(VI). We have no information to suggest that there are any differences between children and adults in terms of where chromium can be found in the body, and how fast chromium will leave the body. Studies with mice have shown that chromium crosses the placenta and concentrates in fetal tissue. Therefore, pregnant women who were exposed to chromium in the workplace or by living near chromium waste sites may transfer chromium from their blood into the baby where it may build up at levels greater than in the mother. There is some evidence in humans that chromium can be transferred from mother to infant through breast milk.

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see also:

History Discover Chromium and its history
Chromium: The History of the Potentially Dangerous Metal

Am I Exposed to Chromium? Chromium Exposure - How might I be exposed to chromium?
Chromium Exposure-Get exposed to chromium by air, water, food, or skin

Learn More Chromium Exposure - Chromium and the effects of exposure - Learn More
Chromium Exposure - The EPA identifies the worst hazardous waste sites