The Time for a Hexavalent Chromium Safety Standard Is Now

EPA announced the release of the Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium in the September 30, 2010, Federal Register. This draft assessment is provided for public viewing and comment. Public comments received on the Toxicological Review during the public comment period will be provided to the external peer reviewers for their consideration. Any comments not received within the requested time period will be considered by EPA in their revisions. The deadline for comments is December 29, 2010.

EPA is conducting a peer review of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of hexavalent chromium that will appear on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. 

Background

The draft Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium provides scientific support and rationale for the hazard and dose-response assessment pertaining to chronic exposure to hexavalent chromium via ingestion. 

Chromium is a naturally occurring element in the earth’s crust. The three main forms of chromium found in the environment are chromium (0), chromium (III), and chromium (VI), also known as hexavalent chromium. Chromium is widely used in manufacturing processes, and it can be found in many consumer products such as wood treated with copper dichromate, leather tanned with chromic sulfate, and stainless steel cookware. Chromium is released to the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources, with the largest releases occurring from industrial sources. The general population may be exposed to chromium by inhaling ambient air, and ingesting food and drinking water containing chromium. Dermal exposure to chromium can occur from skin contact with certain consumer products or soils that contain chromium.

History/Chronology

Sep 1998	The oral RfD for hexavalent chromium was posted to the IRIS database. The inhalation RfC for hexavalent chromium and the carcinogenicity assessment for hexavalent chromium were also posted to the IRIS database.
May 2010	EPA initiated an interagency science consultation to review the draft toxicological review and charge to external peer reviewers.
Sep 2010	EPA released the external review draft for public review and comment and the interagency science consultation review draft with comments. EPA also announced a public listening session to be held on November 18, 2010. [Federal Register Sep 30, 2010]
Nov 2010	EPA extended the public comment period an additional 30-days. [Federal Register Nov 10, 2010]

Next Steps

Following the conclusion of the public review and comment period, public listening session, and external peer review, the draft Toxicological Review will be revised and submitted for a final Agency review and an EPA-led Interagency Science Discussion. As a last step, the final assessment will be posted on the IRIS database.

Downloads

·      Toxicological Review of Chromium VI: in Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) (PDF)  (298 pp, 2 MB, about PDF)

·      Charge to the External Reviewers (PDF)  (2 pp, 18 KB, about PDF)

Additional Information

Comments on the assessment may be submitted and reviewed using the e-Government Regulations.gov Web site. From the site, select “Environmental Protection Agency” and the keyword “EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0540” (for the docket ID) to comment on this report.

Citation

U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium (External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-10/004A, 2010.

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which supports a proposed Public Health Goal (PHG) of 0.06 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water.

Delay

Industry groups, American Chemistry Council (ACC) has requested a delay in implementation. ACC  requested even more studies to determine whether CR6 is indeed safe.

Some have indicated that the chromium industry have withheld data concerning the safety of CR6. Experts have already confirmed that CR6 is very dangerous to humans, “Faced with the threat of stronger regulation, the chromium industry initiated an effort to challenge the scientific evidence supporting a more protective [OSHA workplace] standard [for inhalation]. This effort included the use of “product defense” consultants [Exponent and ChemRisk] to conduct post hoc analyses of a publicly-funded study to challenge results viewed unfavorably by the industry” (Michaels et al, 2006). Recent reports have indicated that US troops have allegedly become sickened from exposure to CR6 in Iraq and Afghanistan from burn pit exposures.

There appears  to be no valid reason to delay further the implementation of CR6 safety standards by EPA. 

Related articles

• National Guard Veterans Allowed to Proceed Against KBR (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)
• Senator Dorgan Call for Medical Evaluations for Those Exposed to Sodium Dichromate at Qarmat Ali Iraq (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)
• Opportunities, Challenges in Use of Workers' Comp Data Are Examined in NIOSH Workshop Proceedings Report (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Government Reports Burn Pit Standards Are Not Being Met (burnpitclaims.blogspot.com)

Complaints Surge About Halliburton Sickening Burn Pits

A recent report in Mother Jones reveals that soldiers, exposed to the dust and fumes from burn pits, coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, are reporting illness at record numbers. In the last 17 months more than 500 veterans have been in touch with Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and reported symptoms ranging from respiratory problems, rashes, kidney problems, asthma-like symptoms and blood disorders, including leukemia and death.


The US Military contracted with Halliburton's former subsidiary KRB to provide logistical support to US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and provide safe waste disposal and drinking water. Lawsuits have been filed against the contractors seeking damages for their failure to carry out their duties properly. The veterans report that toxic substances, including asbestos, plastics, chromium, medical waste, and unexploded ordinance, were place in open pits and covered with jet fuel and ignited created a toxic cloud. Shoulders who were downwind from the belching toxic plume were exposed in the field, eating areas and housing units.


US Congressman Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) has called for legislation ending the use of burn pits and for the medical monitoring of those exposed. Bishop said, "....A glaring example of this recklessness is the use of burn pits to dispose of hazardous waste across Iraq and Afghanistan. A senior member of a U.S. Army environmental health assessment team called one of these burn pits 'the worst environmental site I have personally visited.'"


Click here to contact Jon Gelman by e-mail about burn pit claims or call 973-696-7988.


Click here to read more about burn pit exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Click here to read more about burn pit claims for benefits and lawsuits.

Burn Pit Litigation Expanding to Over 43 Lawsuits

It has been reported that lawsuits, on the behalf of injured US troops and civilian contractors, who were exposed at US bases to burn pit fumes, have multiplied. There are now 43 separate lawsuits that have been filed.


Regulations require that waste management outside of the United States must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. These regulations require that facilities be designed, operated and maintained so as to protect the health and safety of service members, family members, civilian work force and contractors. The 43 complaints filed allege that these regulations were not followed by the contractors.

Well known contractors including Haliburton Company, HBR, Inc., Kellog, Brown & Root Services, Inc., and Kellog, Brown & Root LLC are potential defendants in the litigation. It is alleged that these companies burned toxic waste products, instead of disposing of them in clean-burning incinerators.


Known Burn Pit Sites at Issue in Lawsuits
Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq

Camp Adder, Talil AFB, Iraq
Al Asad Air Base, Kuwait
Ali Air Base (formerly Tallil Air Base)
Al Quo, Iraq
Al-Sahra, Iraq aka Speicher
Camp Al Taji, IQ (Army Airfield)
Al Taqaddum, Iraq (Ridgeway)
Camp Anaconda, Iraq
Camp Anderson, Iraq
FOB Andrea
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait(Camden Yards)
Camp Ar Ramadi, Iraq
Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), Iraq
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
Balad Air Force Base, Iraq
Baquba, Iraq (See Warhorse)
Camp Bastion Airfield, Afghanistan
Camp Bucca, Iraq
FOB Caldwell, Kirkush, Iraq
Camp Cedar I and I, Talil AFB, Iraq
Camp Chesty, Iraq
Camp Courage, Mosul, Iraq
Camp Cropper, Iraq
Camp Delta, Al Kut, Iraq
FOB Delta, Al Kut, Iraq
Diwaniya, Iraq
Djibouti, Iraq
Camp Echo, Diwaynia, Iraq
FOB Endurance - Qayyarah Airfield West/Saddam Air Base
Falluja, Iraq
FOB Fenty, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
FOB Hammer a/k/a Butler Range
FOB Freedom, Kirkuk, Iraq
FOB Gabe, Baqubah, Iraq
Former FOB Gains Mills
Camp Geiger, Iraq
Green Zone, Iraq
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan
Kalsu, Iraq
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Kirkuk, Iraq
Kut Al Hayy Airbase, Iraq
Camp Liberty, Iraq (aka Camp Trashcan)
Camp Loyalty, Iraq
FOB Marez, Mosul, Iraq
FOB McHenry
COB Meade, Camp Liberty, Iraq
Mosul, Iraq
Navstar, Iraq
Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait
Quatar, Iraq
Q-West, Iraq - Qayyarah Airfield West/Saddam Air Base
Camp Ridgeway, Iraq (Al Taquaddum)
Camp Rustamiyah, Iraq
Camp Salerno, Afghanistan
Camp Scania, Iraq
Scania, Iraq
Camp Shield, Baghdad, Iraq
COB Speicher, Iraq aka Al Sahra Airfield (formerly FOB)
Camp Stryker, Iraq
FOB Sykes, Iraq (Tall' Afar)
Taji, Iraq
Tall’ Afar, Iraq
Tallil AFB, Iraq (now is Ali Air Base)
Camp Victory, Iraq
FOB Warhorse, Baqubah, Iraq
FOB Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq
Click here to read more about the chemical exposures in Iraq.

Click here to read more about the Iraq worksite chemical exposure cancer claims.

New OSHA Booklet Sets Forth Hexavalent Chromium Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a booklet describing the industry requirements for safe handling of Hexavalent Chromium. Know hazards to workers handling 
this substance include lung cancer and damage to the nose, throat and 
respiratory system.


"Hexavalent chromium is a powerful lung carcinogen and exposure to this chemical must be minimized," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "OSHA provides guidance on its standards to ensure that employers and workers know the best ways to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses."


Click here to read more about Hexavalent Chromium and workers' compensation.


Click here to read about Hexavalent Chromium and potential litigation for benefits.

Oregon Soldiers Sickened by Exposure to Hexavalant Chromium from KKR-Halliburton Burn Pits

More soldiers are now being reported as ill from exposure to chemicals at burn pits in Iraq. The exposure to hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, is alleged to have sickened Oregon National Guard troops who have returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Over 270 National Guard members have been notified by the US government that they have been exposed to hexavalent chromium. They have been encouraged to enroll in the Gulf War Registry, a list of ill solders numbering over 112,500 soldiers who suffer from illnesses as a result of their deployment to Iraq.

Law suits filed against KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton. KBR has been  charged with exposing the National Guard troops to hexavalent chromium in Iraq and concealing the hazards of the exposure. Apparently fleeing soldiers of Iraq army dumped the orange colored carcinogen on the ground. During the cleanup phase of the operation the National Guard troops war assigned to guard the local cleanup contractors who had rushed to the battlefields who were attempting to secure the Iraqi oil fields and protect their operations during the recovery phase of the operation.

The emerging litigation charges KBR contractors with deliberately withholding information about the dangers of the chemical exposures from the National Guard troops. Soldiers, and some of their surviving family members, from Indiana, South Carolina, and West Virginia have initiated litigation as a result of their exposures that have case them breathing, stomach problems and death.

The US Army, after Congressional hearings, has announced that they will be investigating the hexavalent chromium exposures further. In the meantime, the ill soldiers have sought medical relief from VA Administration as they and their families struggle with the disease.


Know Burn Pit Sites at Issue in Law Suits
Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq
Camp Adder, Talil AFB, Iraq
Al Asad Air Base, Kuwait
Ali Air Base (formerly Tallil Air Base)
Al Quo, Iraq
Al-Sahra, Iraq aka Speicher
Camp Al Taji, IQ (Army Airfield)
Al Taqaddum, Iraq (Ridgeway)
Camp Anaconda, Iraq
Camp Anderson, Iraq
FOB Andrea
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait(Camden Yards)
Camp Ar Ramadi, Iraq
Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), Iraq
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan
Balad Air Force Base, Iraq
Baquba, Iraq (See Warhorse)
Camp Bastion Airfield, Afghanistan
Camp Bucca, Iraq
FOB Caldwell, Kirkush, Iraq
Camp Cedar I and I, Talil AFB, Iraq
Camp Chesty, Iraq
Camp Courage, Mosul, Iraq
Camp Cropper, Iraq
Camp Delta, Al Kut, Iraq
FOB Delta, Al Kut, Iraq
Diwaniya, Iraq
Djibouti, Iraq
Camp Echo, Diwaynia, Iraq
FOB Endurance - Qayyarah Airfield West/Saddam Air Base
Falluja, Iraq
FOB Fenty, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
FOB Hammer a/k/a Butler Range
FOB Freedom, Kirkuk, Iraq
FOB Gabe, Baqubah, Iraq
Former FOB Gains Mills
Camp Geiger, Iraq
Green Zone, Iraq
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan
Kalsu, Iraq
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Kirkuk, Iraq
Kut Al Hayy Airbase, Iraq
Camp Liberty, Iraq (aka Camp Trashcan)
Camp Loyalty, Iraq
FOB Marez, Mosul, Iraq
FOB McHenry
COB Meade, Camp Liberty, Iraq
Mosul, Iraq
Navstar, Iraq
Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait
Quatar, Iraq
Q-West, Iraq - Qayyarah Airfield West/Saddam Air Base
Camp Ridgeway, Iraq (Al Taquaddum)
Camp Rustamiyah, Iraq
Camp Salerno, Afghanistan
Camp Scania, Iraq
Scania, Iraq
Camp Shield, Baghdad, Iraq
COB Speicher, Iraq aka Al Sahra Airfield (formerly FOB)
Camp Stryker, Iraq
FOB Sykes, Iraq (Tall' Afar)
Taji, Iraq
Tall’ Afar, Iraq
Tallil AFB, Iraq (now is Ali Air Base)
Camp Victory, Iraq
FOB Warhorse, Baqubah, Iraq
FOB Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq

Click here to read more about the chemical exposures in Iraq.

 Click here to read more about the Iraq worksite chemical exposure cancer claims.

The Toxic Legacy in Iraq

The Public Education Center (PEC) has published the second in a series of investigative articles concerning the toxic exposure of Army National Guard Units to cancer-casuing chemicals allegedly released by a government contractor, KBR, Inc.

The exposure was a result of a release by KBR, Inc. to, “...dichromate, a rust-fighting industrial chemical and highly-concentrated hexavalent chromium compound, Hexavalent chromium.” Hexavalent chromium has been described as the most toxic chemical known to man.

The series entitled, “No Contractor Left Behind,” chronicles “...chronicles how a toxic time bomb followed three Army National Guard units home from Iraq. It reveals how a notorious military contractor exposed American soldiers to a cancer-causing carcinogen on the battlefield and how the Pentagon tried to downplay the consequences. And it describes how Congress has relegated its investigation to a toothless forum that lacks the political clout and oversight powers to ensure effective accountability.”

A law suit has been filed by 30 West Virginia National Guardsman because of the exposure. Last month a Pittsburg shoulder who served in Iraq and was also exposed filed a law suit seeking damages for the consequences of his exposure.

For additional article on the Halliburton-KBR Litigation click here.

OSHA Adds Hexavalent Chromium to Shipyards Standards

Hexavalent chromium [Chromium (VI) [hexavalent chromium or Cr(VI)]”means chromium with a valence of positive six, inany form and in any compound.] has been added to the list of air contaminants whose concentrations should not exceed stated exposure levels in the OSHA guidance document Shipyard Industry Standards.

"The Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health recommended that OSHA update and republish the shipyard and longshoring industry digests," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "The revised document is now up-to-date with current standards and will continue to serve as another resource for protecting the safety and health of shipyard workers."

Shipyard Industry Standards revises the existing Shipyard Industry Digest and incorporates new shipyard employment requirements that have been developed and finalized since the booklet was last published in 1998. It lists the guidelines for safety and health programs in the industry and incorporates topics such as management commitment; employee participation; hazard identification, assessment and control; and program evaluation.

Soldiers Exposed to Chromium in Iraq File Suit

Soldiers who have been exposed to hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen, have filed suit against a government contractor. The present and former soldiers have brought a claims against KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root), a subsidiary of Halliburton, for concealing the contamination and knowingly exposing them to potential harm. The chromium chemical, sodium dichromate, was utilized to prevent corrosion.

The Oregon legislature has held hearings on pending legislation to assist the ill soldiers. One Oregon soldier has died of complications of leukemia at the age of 21.