title: [Hexavalent chromium pollution and exposure level in electroplating workplace].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the pollution of hexavalent chromium in the electroplating workplace and screen the biomarkers of chromium exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Field occupational health investigation was conducted in 25 electroplating workplaces. 157 electroplating workers and 93 healthy unexposed controls were recruited. The epidemiological information was collected with face to face interview. Chromium in erythrocytes was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median of short-term exposure concentration of chromium in the air at electroplating workplace was 0.06 mg/m(3) (median) and ranging from 0.01 (detect limit) to 0.53 mg/m(3)). The median concentration of Cr (VI) in erythrocytes in electroplating workers was 4.41 (2.50 ∼ 5.29) µg/L, which was significantly higher than that in control subjects [1.54 (0.61 ∼ 2.98) µg/L, P < 0.01]. After stratified by potential confounding factors such as gender, age, smoking status and alcohol consumption, significant differences still existed between electroplating workers and control subjects, except for the subjects of age less than 30 years old (P = 0.11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was hexavalent chromium pollution in electroplating workplace. Occupational hazards prevention measures should be taken to control the chromium pollution hazards.
authors.affiliation: Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Xu-hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhang-ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Cai-xia
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiao-bin
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D002857:Chromium / Q000097:blood*; D004595:Electroplating; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D002857:Chromium; C074702:chromium hexavalent ion