Since then, the state has adopted the nation’s most stringent emission standards for chrome plating operations. Several families, including those of children who died from cancer, filed a lawsuit against Chrome Crankshaft, a company that plated locomotive parts. Twenty-two students and six teachers at the schools had been diagnosed with cancer in eight years, organizers say. The groups suspected that chrome emissions had contributed to health problems for children, teachers and residents. In 1998, community groups called for an investigation into a chrome plating operation near Suva Elementary and Intermediate schools in Bell Gardens. Over time, residents have become more concerned about the chemical’s health consequences. But these suppressants contain PFAS, another highly toxic compound, which is discharged into local waterways.Ĭalifornia in 1986 identified hexavalent chromium as a toxic air contaminant that has no safe amount of exposure. Many of these operations try to reduce the vapors by adding chemical fume suppressants to the chromium solution. At the same time, voltage causes the solution to form bubbles, which release chromium-laden vapors as they burst. This luster is achieved by dipping auto parts into industrial tanks of a liquid solution containing a potent carcinogen.Īn electric current is sent through the tank, causing hexavalent chromium to adhere to the part. Chrome on a car was like a brooch for a lady’s coat, something that embellished the form.”īut the mirror-like sheen on wheels, bumpers and grilles comes at a cost. “It was like your ultimate outer layer of clothing. “Because you were in your car so much, it was another way of greeting the world,” said Leslie Kendall, chief historian of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Much of that has to do with the social influence chrome once held in a region that eagerly adapted itself to automobiles. Southern California remains synonymous with classic and customized cars of yesteryear, from hot rods to lowriders, and chrome’s legacy is strong. Los Angeles County in particular - with its abundance of car enthusiasts and aerospace companies - has the greatest concentration of chrome platers in the nation. In California, there are more than 110 chrome-plating facilities, and more than 70% of them are in disadvantaged communities. Here’s how California is faring toward those goals. The state will need to make good on a number of other promises to achieve its climate goals. But its record on big climate promises is mixed “The consequences are going to be disastrous, because you can lose an entire industry.”Ĭlimate & Environment California vows to ban gas-fueled cars. “California is trying to force something to happen that’s not ready to happen,” Leiker said. of California, said these facilities are already required to comply with the strictest regulations in the nation, and an outright ban would compel businesses and jobs to leave California. Bryan Leiker, executive director of the Metal Finishing Assn. The proposal, however, has been blasted by the chrome plating industry. We would be working with the industry and the military to actually identify new coatings. “Even the EU hasn’t done it, because they haven’t found a substitute for crucial uses. “We would be the first jurisdiction in the world to phase out hexavalent chromium in the plating industry,” said Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics. It could also force California aerospace companies and defense contractors to accelerate research into less toxic alternatives. The proposal has drawn praise from advocates for clean air but has sent shock waves through the state’s auto restoration and customization industries.
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