Steel is made into "stainless" alloys with the addition of 4 percent to 30 percent chromium, and the typical stainless steel alloys contain about 10 percent chromium. In the alloys, chromium reacts with oxygen to form a tough, passive, surface layer of chromium oxide that prevents iron in the alloy from oxidizing to form rust.

When the heat of a welding or cutting torch is used on these alloys, the base metal and/or the electrode coating convert to submicron-sized particles that become airborne as fumes, and those fumes can contain particles of chromium. Some of that chromium can be chemically altered by the heat from the process and, in the presence of oxygen, it can become hexavalent chromium, a recognized carcinogen.

Weld Tech Fabrication offers a Hexavalent Chromium Air and Rescue support trailer. This trailer is available 24 hours a day and includes safety supervision, a supplied air respirator, escape pack, and fresh air bottles to make your hexavalent chromium job as safe and stress-free as possible.