[Richard230]

Along article in my newspaper yesterday published by the LA Times is titled "State wants to ban chemical that gives chrome its shine". The sub-title states: "Airborne emissions from plating process pose a substantial cancer risk to cities". In a nutshell, the state wants to ban the chemical "hexavalent chromium" which is apparently the chemical that gives chrome its shine. Not only would it impact commercial chrome plating companies, but it would even impact California's aerospace companies who say they have no product that they could substitute for the chemical.

The article says that if the regulation is approved it would make California the only place in the world where hexavalent chromium and chrome plating is banned.

[him a layin]

well the relevant question in my mind would be how much does it increase the risk of cancer, and how much more cancer is acceptable?

[Arschloch]

As far as I know Cr6 is banned, better said been outfased for now over 15 years as a cancerous substance in Europe. Not sure anyone actually misses it, the industry sure found a way to avoid Cr6 without any dramas.

[NVDucati]

Along article in my newspaper yesterday published by the LA Times is titled "State wants to ban chemical that gives chrome its shine". The sub-title states: "Airborne emissions from plating process pose a substantial cancer risk to cities". In a nutshell, the state wants to ban the chemical "hexavalent chromium" which is apparently the chemical that gives chrome its shine. Not only would it impact commercial chrome plating companies, but it would even impact California's aerospace companies who say they have no product that they could substitute for the chemical.

The article says that if the regulation is approved it would make California the only place in the world where hexavalent chromium and chrome plating is banned.

"They" (legislative staffers) get an ear full from staffers of environmental entities and tell their bosses. None of them likely know how many parts of every type of machinery uses chrome surfaces to rotate or slide. They only see hot rod cars but not the bearing which rotates the table inside their microwave.
I had reason to recently visit a couple of plating companies in Northern California. Industrial chrome plating has effectively already been banned by "administrative" policies. They now only do long-run orders because of the pre and post inspections of the air cooling and water rinsing tanks systems.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for environmental sanity but just shipping our manufacturing off to China or Brazil doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. I can't think of any language in the world that doesn't have a word for stupid.

[AzCal Retred]

Derottone's point about industry adapting to Hex Chrome is a good example of how they operate in general. It's amazing what's actually "possible" when they have to do it.

Industry follows the fiscal path of least resistance. Open pit burning & dumping goes on as long as they can get away with it. Then apparently lip service is the next step. PG&E poisoned Hinkley's groundwater with Hex Chrome, got caught, fought it, eventually began a pro-forma remediation, then 20 years later did exactly the same thing again near Needles. Fortunately for PG&E Needles is poorer and farther away.

https://grist.org/Array/the-true-story-of-the-town-behind-erin-brockovich/

https://sbcsentinel.com/2013/09/needles-facing-chromium-6-contamination-rivaling-that-in-hinkley/

[Arschloch]

Cr6 free alternative is more expensive? I doubt it, it was evolution not a mandate in the first place.