Chemrisk.Com Area of Expertise

ChemRisk^® professionals have expertise evaluating a wide range of metals that are of concern to industry, residential communities, and governmental agencies. We have conducted hundreds of single and multi-metal evaluations and have specific experience with certain metal alloys. For metals, our professionals have carried out human health and environmental risk assessments, food and consumer product risk assessments, medical device assessments, fate and transport modeling, exposure reconstruction, industrial hygiene sample collection and evaluation, background analysis, source fingerprinting, biomonitoring and statistical analyses and source allocation evaluations.

Over the past 25 years, professionals within ChemRisk^® have developed an exceptionally high level of expertise with various metals, in particular with hexavalent chromium, lead and mercury.

Special Consideration for Metals
We recognize that special considerations must be made when evaluating metals, and have specialized in the following areas:

Absorption, bioavailability and bioaccessibility (e.g. bio-elution)
Speciation of certain metals (e.g. chromium, arsenic)
Particle size
Toxicity vs. essentiality
Background levels in the environment
Dietary sources
Source contribution
Environmental chemistry (including solubility and sorption behavior)
Metal allergy/skin or lung sensitizations

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]
Cr(VI) is recognized to be a human carcinogen when inhaled in sufficient amounts. Chromate compounds have been used widely in the preparation of dyes, leather tanning, and as a treatment for lumber. ChemRisk^® scientists have conducted perhaps as many studies as any group in the United States or elsewhere which have evaluated the health risks posed by Chromium VI in air, water, soil or sediment. To date, our staff has published over 40 papers regarding risk assessment aspects of both Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Several staff have testified as experts in litigation or science advisory panels.

Lead
Over the years, our firm has conducted more than 200 assessments of the hazards posed by lead in soil, air, water, sediments and house dust. Some of our scientists have been pioneers regarding novel ways to mathematically estimate dose and the hazards posed by chronic exposure, particularly exposures associated with the use of consumer products. We have conducted approximately 50 consumer product risk assessments on lead-containing materials to assess compliance with California’s Proposition 65.

Mercury
Mercury has been one of the most significant occupational toxicants for several hundred years. Our scientists have evaluated it in many workplace and environmental settings. We have assessed the exposure due to contaminated soil, house dust, sediments, and inhalation. We have also conducted important assessments of community exposure due to various incidents.

ChemRisk^® Publications

Cowan D.M., Fan Q., Zou Y., Shi X.J., Chen J., Rosenthal F.S., Aschner, M., and Zheng, W. 2009. Manganese exposure among smelting workers: Blood manganese-iron ratio as a novel tool for manganese exposure assessment. Biomarkers. 14(1):3-16.

Cowan D.M., Zheng W., Zou Y., Shi X. Chen J., Rosenthal, F.S., Fan, Q. 2009. Manganese exposure among smelting workers: Relationship between blood manganese–iron ratio and early onset neurobehavioral alterations. Neurotoxicology. In press (available online).

Crump C, K. Crump, E. Hack, R. Luippold, K. Mundt, E.W. Liebig, J.M. Panko, D.J. Paustenbach, and D.M. Proctor. 2003. Dose-response and risk assessment of airborne hexavalent chromium and lung cancer mortality. Risk Anal. 23(6):1147-63.

Finley, B.L., D.J. Paustenbach, J. Nethercott, and J. Fowler. 1995. Risk assessment of the allergic dermatitis potential of environmental exposure to hexavalent chromium. J Toxicol Environ Health. 44(3):377-383.

Finley, B.L., D.M. Proctor, and D.J. Paustenbach. 1992. An alternative to the USEPA's proposed inhalation reference concentrations for hexavalent and trivalent chromium. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 16(2):161-176.

McAtee B.L., M.L. Kreider, J.M. Panko, L.I. Sweet, and B.L. Finley. 2008. Evaluation of Chemical Leaching Potential from Roadway Particles. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 29th Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL. November 18, 2008.

Finley, B.L., P.K. Scott, R.L. Norton, M.L. Gargas, and D.J. Paustenbach. 1996. Urinary chromium concentrations in humans following ingestion of safe doses of hexavalent and trivalent chromium: implications for biomonitoring. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 48(5): 479–499.

Luippold R.S., K.A. Mundt, R.P. Austin, E.W. Liebig, J.M. Panko, C. Crump, K. Crump, and D.M. Proctor. 2003. Lung cancer mortality among chromate production workers. J Occup Environ Med. 2003. 60: 451-457.

Paustenbach D.J., J.M. Panko, M.M. Fredrick, B.L. Finley, and D.M. Proctor. 1997. Urinary chromium as a biological marker of environmental exposure: what are the limitations? Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. Aug;26(1 Pt 2):S23-34

Proctor D.M., K.A. Fehling, E.C. Shay, J.L. Wittenborn, J.J. Green, C. Avent, R.D. Bigham, M. Connolly, B. Lee, T.O. Shepker and M.A. Zak. 2000. Physical and chemical characteristics of blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace, and electric arc furnace steel industry slags. Environ. Sci. Technol. 34:1576-1582.

Proctor D.M, E.C. Shay, K.A. Fehling and B.L. Finley. 2002. Assessment of human health and ecological risks posed by the uses of steel-industry slags in the environment. Human Ecol. Risk Assess. 8(4):681-711.

Proctor D.M., J.M. Panko, E.W. Liebig, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2004. Estimating Historical Occupational Exposure to Airborne Hexavalent Chromium in a Chromate Production Plant: 1940–1972. J Occup nviron Hyg. 1(11):752-767.

Scott, P.K., and D. Proctor. 2008. Soil suspension/dispersion modeling methods for estimating health-based soil cleanup levels of hexavalent chromium at chromite ore processing residue sites. JAWMA. 58:384-403.

Scott, P.K., K.M. Unice, S. Williams, and J. Panko. 2007. Statistical evaluation of metal concentrations as a method for identifying World Trade Center dust in buildings. Environmental Forensics. 8(4):301-311.

For Additional information, please contact Erin Shay at eshay@chemrisk.com; (412) 281-6900, ext 1022