Use of fume suppressants hard chromium baths: Emission testing

The EPA Common Sense Initiative (CSI) is a cooperative effort of government , industry, environmental, and other stakeholder groups to find "cleaner, c heaper, smarter" approaches to environmental management in industrial secto rs. The purpose of the project is to assist hard chrome metal platers reduc e plating tank emissions to comply cost-effectively with, or exceed, EPA's Chromium Emissions MACT Standard. The major objective of this project was t o investigate the efficacy of wetting-agent-type mist suppressants to reduc e worker exposure and hexavalent chromium emissions from a hard-chromium pl ating tank. Further emission testing to meet the chromium MACT standard has been conducted to determine an acceptable surface tension number for regul atory use. Hard chromium platers may be able to report surface tension numb ers much like that of decorative chromium, if and when regulatory change is implemented.