Chromium(VI)
The Erin Brockovich substance — detectable from some vape coils in the aerosol.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Cr(VI) · Chrom(VI) · Sechswertiges Chrom
- CAS number
- 18540-29-9
- Toxicity
Very high
- Carcinogenic
- Yes — IARC Group 1
- In cigarette smoke
- trace amounts (variable, Cr(VI) typischerweise < 1 ng pro Zigarette)
- In vape aerosol
- 0.1–1 µg pro Zug aus billigen Heizdrähten; Erin Brockovich Story
What is Chromium(VI)?
Chromium occurs in two very different oxidation states: chromium(III) is an essential trace element; chromium(VI) is one of the most dangerous occupational carcinogens in existence. IARC has classified chromium(VI) compounds as a Group 1 carcinogen since 1990. In vape aerosols, chromium can pass from the coil material into its free hexavalent form.
Why is Chromium(VI) in cigarettes?
In classical tobacco smoke, chromium quantities are small and mostly in the chromium(III) form — tobacco isn't primarily the problematic source. In vape aerosols it's different: heating wires of nickel-chromium alloys can release chromium at high temperatures, partly converted to chromium(VI) by oxidative conditions. Studies (Olmedo et al., 2018) detected sub-microgram quantities of chromium per puff, with significant variability across devices and wattages.
What Chromium(VI) does to your body — short term
At vape-aerosol quantities, chromium causes no noticeable acute symptoms. At higher occupational exposures — for example in electroplating or stainless-steel welding — severe nasal irritation, skin ulcers on contact, and chronically „chromium holes“ in the nasal septum occur. Short-term inhalation from vapes is measurable but below the acute irritant threshold.
What Chromium(VI) does long term
Chromium(VI) is one of the best-documented lung carcinogens from the occupational context. Workers exposed in electroplating showed significantly elevated lung cancer rates across multiple cohort studies. The effect rests on reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) inside the cell, generating reactive oxygen species and DNA damage. How much risk arises from years of vaping with metal-leaching coils is an active research question; the risk is real, with magnitude under assessment since 2018.
Where else do you know Chromium(VI) from?
Chromium(VI) became widely known through the film „Erin Brockovich“ — the real story concerned contaminated drinking water in Hinkley, California, where Pacific Gas & Electric had discharged Cr(VI)-containing cooling water. Industrially, chromium(VI) is found in electroplating, in stainless-steel welding, and historically in leather tanning and wood preservatives (now largely banned).
How it compares
Germany's workplace acceptance concentration for chromium(VI) is 1 µg/m³ (TRGS 910); the tolerance concentration as the uppermost acceptable level is 10 µg/m³. A single puff from a cheap vape coil can exceed these values many times over during the seconds of inhalation.
Workplace exposure limit: 1 µg/m³ (Akzeptanzkonzentration), 10 µg/m³ (Toleranzkonzentration, TRGS 910)
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