Dermatotoxicological aspects of metallic chromium

Abstract

Chromium (Fig. 1) may occur in several valence states; of these, only valence states 0, 3+ and 6+ are stable, and only the trivalent and hexavalent salts are able to act as haptens, i.e. to form covalent bonds with proteins [1, 2], and cause allergy. This protein-binding capacity is the general precondition for the immunogenic activity of a hapten, as demonstrated 60 years ago [3]. It is generally accepted that the chromium [...]