Is chromium (hexavalent) safe on skin (left on)?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, chromium (hexavalent) on skin (left on) rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 3 sourced concerns count (suspected carcinogen, consensus tier; endocrine, consensus tier; irritant · allergen, consensus tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

Is chromium (hexavalent) safe when breathed in?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, chromium (hexavalent) when breathed in rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 1 sourced concern counts (suspected carcinogen, consensus tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Chromium (hexavalent) safe in food and drink?

Materials & packaging3 uses researched7 sourced claims

Where it turns up: wood preservative, leather tanning. Detox My Life researched chromium (hexavalent) under 3 different uses, because the same substance means something different in each. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
Eaten or drunk	Swap	Swap	Swap	3 · 0
On skin, left on	Swap	Swap	Swap	3 · 0
Breathed in	Swap	Swap	Swap	1 · 0

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.

Eaten or drunk Swap

Under the default Cautious lens chromium (hexavalent) in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (3)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%

Ingested hexavalent chromium is classified as a carcinogen, causing tumors in the oral cavity and small intestine in animal studies.

Why here: Hexavalent chromium can contaminate drinking water from both natural and industrial sources. While some reduction to less toxic trivalent chromium occurs in the gut, a portion can evade this detoxification and be absorbed, leading to cellular damage and potential carcinogenicity.
What would have to be true: Ingestion through drinking water, with California setting a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 µg/L (10 ppb) specifically for hexavalent chromium, and a Public Health Goal (PHG) of 0.02 µg/L (0.02 ppb).

Sources the engine cites:

Oral Chromium Exposure and Toxicity - PMC — nih.gov (2013) · regulator or public body
Hexavalent Chromium — nih.gov · regulator or public body
Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium-6) | California State Water Resources Control Board — ca.gov (2026) · regulator or public body
National Toxicology Program (NTP); Availability of Data From Preliminary Studies and Proposed Study Protocols for Cancer Bioassays of Hexavalent Chromium in Rats and Mice; Request for Public Comment and Notice of Public Meeting — federalregister.gov (2002) · regulator or public body
2 web articles (toxicfreefuture.org, wikipedia.org), linked in the app.

ConsensusEndocrineconfidence 100%

Ingested hexavalent chromium is listed as causing birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Why here: When ingested, hexavalent chromium can cross the placenta and has been shown in animal studies to damage developing fetuses and male reproductive systems.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of contaminated drinking water or soil.

Sources the engine cites:

Chromium | Wisconsin Department of Health Services — wisconsin.gov (2026) · regulator or public body
1 web article (toxicfreefuture.org), linked in the app.

EmergingMetabolicconfidence 80%

Ingestion of hexavalent chromium is associated with digestive problems, irritation, ulcers in the stomach and intestines, and damage to the kidneys and liver.

Why here: When ingested, hexavalent chromium can cause direct irritation to the gastrointestinal tract and, if absorbed, can lead to systemic organ damage.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of contaminated food or drinking water.

Sources the engine cites:

Oral Chromium Exposure and Toxicity - PMC — nih.gov (2013) · regulator or public body
Chromium | Wisconsin Department of Health Services — wisconsin.gov (2026) · regulator or public body
National Toxicology Program (NTP); Availability of Data From Preliminary Studies and Proposed Study Protocols for Cancer Bioassays of Hexavalent Chromium in Rats and Mice; Request for Public Comment and Notice of Public Meeting — federalregister.gov (2002) · regulator or public body
1 web article (wikipedia.org), linked in the app.

On skin, left on Swap

Under the default Cautious lens chromium (hexavalent) on skin (left on) rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (3)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%

Hexavalent chromium compounds are classified as human carcinogens (IARC Group 1) and are considered to pose serious health risks, including cancer, through dermal exposure due to their ability to be absorbed through intact skin and distribute systemically.

Why here: While inhalation is the primary route for lung cancer, hexavalent chromium can be absorbed through intact skin and distributed throughout the body. Leave-on products maximize the duration of skin contact, increasing the potential for systemic absorption and subsequent carcinogenic effects.
What would have to be true: Dermal absorption through intact skin, with prolonged contact time, leading to systemic exposure.

Sources the engine cites:

Chromium (Cr) Toxicity: What Are the Physiologic Effects of Chromium Exposure? | Environmental Medicine | ATSDR - CDC Archive — cdc.gov (2001) · regulator or public body
Chromium Hexavalent Compounds - 15th Report on Carcinogens - NCBI Bookshelf — nih.gov (2021) · regulator or public body
Contaminants > Chromium vi > toxicology - CLU-IN — clu-in.org (2025) · regulator or public body
Adverse Human Health Effects of Chromium by Exposure Route: A Comprehensive Review Based on Toxicogenomic Approach - PMC — nih.gov (2023) · regulator or public body
1 community or commercial page, not counted here.

ConsensusEndocrineconfidence 100%

Hexavalent chromium compounds are listed under California's Proposition 65 as chemicals known to the state to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Why here: Dermal leave-on products allow for prolonged skin contact, which can lead to the absorption of hexavalent chromium through the skin and subsequent systemic exposure, potentially affecting reproductive systems.
What would have to be true: Systemic exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds, which can occur through dermal absorption.

Sources the engine cites:

Contaminants > Chromium vi > toxicology - CLU-IN — clu-in.org (2025) · regulator or public body

ConsensusIrritant · allergenconfidence 100%

Hexavalent chromium can cause allergic contact dermatitis and skin irritation, including ulcers, upon prolonged or repeated dermal contact.

Why here: Dermal leave-on products involve direct and prolonged contact with the skin, which is the primary route for developing and eliciting allergic contact dermatitis and direct skin irritation from hexavalent chromium.
What would have to be true: Direct and prolonged skin contact with hexavalent chromium, even in small amounts for sensitized individuals, or concentrations of 4-25 ppm for sensitization and 20 ppm for ulcers in non-sensitized individuals.

Sources the engine cites:

Hexavalent Chromium - Health Effects — osha.gov (2006) · regulator or public body
Chromium (Cr) Toxicity: What Are the Physiologic Effects of Chromium Exposure? | Environmental Medicine | ATSDR - CDC Archive — cdc.gov (2001) · regulator or public body
Chromium (Hexavalent) - Lni.wa.gov (2023) · regulator or public body
Adverse Human Health Effects of Chromium by Exposure Route: A Comprehensive Review Based on Toxicogenomic Approach - PMC — nih.gov (2023) · regulator or public body
2 web articles (wikipedia.org, midwesterninsurance.com), linked in the app.
2 community or commercial pages, not counted here.

Breathed in Swap

Under the default Cautious lens chromium (hexavalent) when breathed in rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (1)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%

Inhaling hexavalent chromium compounds is known to cause lung cancer and cancers of the nose and nasal sinuses in humans. Additionally, inhalation can lead to irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs, damage to nasal mucous membranes, ulcers, and allergic reactions such as asthma symptoms.

Why here: The claim directly addresses the health effects on a person from the inhalation of hexavalent chromium, which is the specified exposure route.
What would have to be true: The health effects are associated with occupational exposure to airborne hexavalent chromium, particularly in industries such as chromate production, pigment production, chrome electroplating, welding, and spray painting. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for airborne hexavalent chromium of 5 µg/m³ averaged over an 8-hour workday.
The other side: N/A.

Sources the engine cites:

Hexavalent Chromium - Health Effects — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (2024) · regulator or public body
Chromium — Wisconsin Department of Health Services (2026) · regulator or public body
Health hazards of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and its microbial reduction - PMC — National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2022) · regulator or public body
Chromium | Public Health Statement | ATSDR — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2012) · regulator or public body
1 web article (Wikipedia), linked in the app.
2 community or commercial pages, not counted here.

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for chromium (hexavalent) when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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