Hygienic behaviour in chromium plating industries.

The impact of hygienic behaviour on the uptake of chromium has been studied in two small chromium plating factories. The correlation between the environmental monitoring measure (Cr-A) and the biological monitoring measure (Cr-U) varied between the two factories. In one factory (I) the correlation between Cr-U and Cr-A was 0.68 (P < 0.001), while in the other factory (II) it was negative (r = -0.64, P = 0.03). However, in both populations a significant impact of hygienic behaviour on the variance in Cr-U levels could be detected. In factory I, explained variance could be enhanced to R2 = 0.94 (P < 0.001) when considering expressions of hygienic behaviour. In factory II, a strong relation proved to exist between Cr-U and dermal uptake. For the various questions referring to skin problems and possible dermal uptake, the correlation with Cr-U is up to 0.70 (P = 0.03). When comparing the results for the two factories, it is shown that in addition to individual differences in hygienic behaviour, general hygienic conditions also have an impact on uptake of chromium. In factory II, where many efforts were made to prevent exposure to chromium, Cr-U was significantly lower than in factory I (P < 0.001).