RIVERSIDE – (INT) – Meeting in Riverside Thursday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) updated rules on airborne toxics that will phase out the use of hexavalent chromium. It applies to chrome plating and chromic anodizing facilities.

Hexavalent chromium is a carcinogen that is the second most potent toxic air contaminant, and it is 500 times more toxic than diesel exhaust.

The process that chrome platers use for both decorative and functional purposes on metal products creates emissions that pose health risks for residents living near the facilities.

The updated rule gives decorative platers a choice between a choice in deadlines to transition to less toxic options that are currently available.

Hexavalent chromium is well-known to residents of Hinkley---near Barstow. Beginning in 1952, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) discharged it into unlined ponds. From there, the carcinogen entered the underground aquifer and traveled with the groundwater that supplied the community.

Story Date: May 31, 2023