Better late than never
LET'S BAN HEXAVALENT CHROME !
It was in 2005 that I first wrote an editorial about the dangerousness of hexavalent chromium used in aluminium pretreatment before coating (see here below).
In those years we were just starting to consider alternative technologies without chromium, with the first “shy” experiments with products based on zirconium, titanium, silanes, cerium, SEM (Self Assemblying Molecule), trivalent chromium.
We were among the first to publicize alternative technologies, friendly for the environment and for the health of operators and final users. On one hand we are very satisfied, but on the other hand we are quite disappointed.
We are very satisfied to see that in North America, and in many other industrialized and emerging countries, the message (certainly not only coming from us, but also from many field associations and from companies that produce technologies) has been received and the replacement of hexavalent chromium is considered a must.
However we are also disappointed to see that in some important European countries such as Italy and Germany (differently from Spain, Greece, the UK and Scandinavia) hexavalent chromium is still the most used technology as these countries seem to be anchored to non-justified traditionalism.
Technologies using trivalent chromium, nowadays, are safe and certified by specific standards.
Hexavalent chromium is banned in many industries (such as automotive industries) but, in many countries, the field of profiles for constructions is still not projected into the future and is not careful towards the environment. Still for how long?
Walter Dalla Barba
After Years Of Application In The Coil Field, Today Chrome-Free Products For Pre-Treatment Before Painting Are Available Also For Extrusions
CHROME YES, CHROME NO
Also Julia Roberts expresses her opinion
A few years ago Julia Roberts was the protagonist of a very successful movie called Erin Brockovich. This name may not mean much, but the content of the movie refers to facts that really occurred in the United States and that should make one think. Hexavalent chrome used in certain productions had infiltrated in the soil causing pollution to the water beds and consequently cancer to hundreds of families living in a small town of that area.
Fines and indemnities amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars and obviously the harmful productions were stopped and forbidden. The message of this movie in general referred to ecological disasters and the hazard to human health caused by negligence or, very often, as in the movie, by serious fraud.
However I believe that whoever, within our industrial field, has seen the movie, focalized his attention on the issue of pollution caused by hexavalent chrome, the main component under accusation also in aluminium pre-treatment before painting.
For several years now there have been talks about alternative products without chrome, but as valid as hexavalent chrome, certified by the Italian and European institutions, but not sufficiently experimented by the industry.
If nobody will have the courage to start serious industrial tests, the cat will keep biting its tail, which means that everyone wants products without chrome to avoid being accused of cancerous productions (yes, because as in the movie, hexavalent chrome may cause cancer if it enters the human organism), but everyone waits for the others in order not to experiment new technologies in first person (or they are waiting for definitive interdictions by the local health authorities).
However some braver companies in Italy and Europe have started risking, thus showing an innovative and sensitive attitude towards health and environment. Our approval goes to these industries, also in view of the fact that progress would have stopped at the stone age unless some courageous persons had not decided to experiment great and small innovations on their own skin (even if nowadays, after so many years of research and certifications, just a little bit of courage is necessary).
Walter Dalla Barba