California Efforts Continue to Ban Hexavalent Chromium Plating

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) continues to advance a new rulemaking to transition hexavalent chromium plating to trivalent chromium for decorative chromium plating, functional chromium plating and chromic acid anodizing. If promulgated, this rule could have a significant adverse impact on platers in California and critical supply chains, particularly aerospace, automotive, and U.S. defense operations.

While CARB continues to extend the proposed timeframe for the transition, NASF and its California leadership have argued that the state’s regulatory deadlines remain unrealistic.

NASF and its California Chapters continue outreach efforts to customers, CARB staff and Board members, California state legislators and regulatory officials regarding the potential negative impacts of this rule.  In recent weeks, the industry has hosted CARB Board members and senior CARB staff on plant tours to highlight critical hexavalent chromium plating processes and emphasize the potential impacts the rule could have on the industry and vital supply chains.  These efforts appear to be productive as CARB is considering extending the dates for phasing out hexavalent chromium to ten years and beyond and contemplating other possible options to address their concerns about hexavalent chromium emissions form surface finishing operations in California.

NASF and its California Chapters will also continue working with state officials and industry partners to develop a rule that is protective of human health and the environment and is technologically feasible and economically sustainable.

This update is courtesy of the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF). For more information or to become a member, visit nasf.org.