Public Review and Comment: Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Environmental and Human Health for Trivalent, Hexavalent and Total Chromium

October 30, 2023 in Public Review

Draft Canadian soil quality guidelines for the protection of environmental and human health for trivalent, hexavalent and total chromium and its scientific criteria document are available for public review and comment until December 8, 2023. The documents are available in English and French.

Chromium occurs in the environment in two forms: trivalent chromium, Cr(III), and hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI). In soils, it occurs primarily as Cr(III), unless the soils have been polluted with Cr(VI)-contaminated wastes. Since Cr(III) and Cr(VI) have different effects on human health, human-health-based soil quality guidelines should be derived for each form; however, current practices favour the analysis of Cr(T) in soil, while Cr(VI) is only measured in cases where there is a known or suspected Cr(VI) source. On this basis, human-health-based soil quality guidelines were derived separately for Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Under this approach, it may be possible to measure Cr(T) in soil and compare the results to the SoQGHH for Cr(III), while analytical measurement of Cr(VI) in soil would be strongly recommended for any site potentially contaminated by activities involving Cr(VI).

Please submit comments to:

Olivier Berreville
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
360 - 123 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB    R3C 1A3
Email: oberreville@ccme.ca