The legal limit values for exposure to chromium-6 compounds were tightened in the Netherlands on 1 March
2017 .
New insights have shown that chromium-6 poses a greater risk of cancer than previously thought. Employers and employees will therefore have to make an extra effort to prevent exposure to chromium-6 compounds. The
limit value for chromium-6 compounds has been lowered to 1 µg/m3 or 0.001 mg/m³ (TGG of 8 hours). The Dutch law can be found here.
These regulations are focused on the health of a worker. This is in other words the threshold that is used for the air around the worker. There are several protocols that define the procedure for proper sampling. A familiar protocol is the OGOS-300-TRL.
More information about the determination of the limit values can be found in the advisory report of the Dutch
Health Council on which the adjustment is based. See document.
In general, the government of the Netherlands is currently at the forefront of having implemented laws and regulations for chromium-6 related salts. The products that have been used widely amongst the industry in the Netherlands are quite similar to other products used around the world. It is expected that other countries outside the European union will follow the example, to enhance their legal framework to protect workers against the harmful effects.