Potassium Chromate Hazards: Safe Handling & Disposal

What is Potassium Chromate?

Potassium Chromate (K₂CrO₄) is a potassium salt composed of potassium and chromate ions in a 2:1 ratio. It is a yellowish, odourless, crystalline, inorganic solid substance. Potassium Chromate is also known as Chromate of Potash, Dipotassium Chromate, Potassium Bichromate, Chromic acid and Dipotassium salt.

Although it is mainly produced in laboratories, it is found naturally as mineral Tarapacaite, but only in a few spots of the Atacama Desert in South America. As potassium chromate is quite expensive and dangerous to produce, it is only used when there is no alternative – for instance, when sodium salt is not suitable.

Potassium Chromate Uses

This chemical substance is commonly used for industrial and laboratory applications, as follows:

• Used in dye manufacturing and textile dyeing processes
• Used as a reagent in chemical analysis
• Used as a pigment in paints, metal pickling and plating
• Used as a fungicide
• Used to produce other chromium compounds
• Used as an oxidising agent during organic synthesis
• Used as an indicator in precipitation titrations
• Used in leaching process

Potassium Chromate Properties & Facts

Chemical / Physical Property	Details
Molecular Formula	K2CrO4 CrK2O4
Molecular Weight	194.1896 g/mol
Physical state	Solid
Form	Crystalline
Density	2.7320 g/cm³
Boiling Point	1,000°C
Melting Point	968°C
Colour	Yellow
Smell	Odourless
Solubility	Water soluble
Flammability	Non-combustible

Potassium Chromate is a strong oxidiser that enhances the combustion of other substances, meaning that it causes a fire when it contacts with other materials. If this happens, the fire will be very difficult to put out and may release highly toxic fumes including Chromic Oxides and Potassium Oxides. You cannot put a potassium chromate fire out with foam or dry chemicals, you must use water to flood the source of the fire.

Potassium Chromate reacts violently with reducing agents such as Sodium, Lithium, Aluminium and their hydrides and with combustibles such as paper, oils and wood. When reacted with metals, it releases flammable Hydrogen gas. However, it is not compatible with mineral acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid and nitric acid.

Potassium Chromate Hazards

Potassium Chromate is a hazardous substance and a poses serious threat to the environment and humans. It is on the Right to Know Hazardous Substance List and the Special Hazardous Substance List, underscoring its hazardous nature.

Health Hazards & Risks of Potassium Chromate

Potassium Chromate should be handled with extreme care and caution to avoid the following health risks:

• Physical/skin contact: Merely touching Potassium Chromate can cause skin inflammation or exacerbate any pre-existing skin conditions. While skin contact may not cause long-term health effects, if potassium chromate comes in contact with any wounds, abrasions or lesions, it can cause systemic injury with extremely serious effects. Contact with eyes can cause eye irritation with possible eye damage.
• Inhalation: Potassium chromate, when inhaled, can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. Repeated exposure may cause ulcerations, shortness of breath, bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma. It is also known to affect the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys and immune system.
• Ingestion: Accidentally ingestion of potassium chromate could be fatal. Even if it is not fatal, it is likely to cause severe health problems such as kidney damage, blood cell damage, inflammation of the digestive tract or severe abdominal pain.

Potassium Chromate is CARCINOGEN in humans. Prolonged exposure can cause several other serious health risks like lung and sinonasal cavity cancer, not just the above-mentioned issues. There is evidence to suggest that it can cause genetic defects that can be inherited.

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Potassium Chromate Safe Disposal Methods

Disposal of Potassium Chromate requires careful handling to ensure safety and reduce the impact on environment.

• Contact Hazardous Waste Disposal Companies: Before disposing of potassium chromate, contact local authorities or disposal companies or emergency response specialists like Ideal Response to guide you with the necessary equipment and expertise to ensure safe and proper disposal and cleaning according to environmental regulations.
• Neutralise: Experts like Ideal Response can help you treat Potassium Chromate through a process called Neutralisation in order to make the chemical less harmful. This process involves adding reducing agent, such as Sodium Bisulphite or Sodium Metabisulphite, to the Potassium Chromate solution to dilute its chemical power.

How Ideal Response Can Help

As emphasised above, Potassium Chromate is an extremely hazardous chemical. So, if you ever find yourself in the crosshairs a major chemical spill cleaning, it is imperative to seek guidance from a team of experts to handle the situation safely and effectively. Potassium Chromate or any other hazardous chemical spill can disrupt operations, whether in a laboratory or a chemical factory. Therefore, it is crucial to restore normal operations as quickly and safely as possible.

That’s where Ideal Response comes in.

Our highly experienced team, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, will ensure the spill is cleaned up promptly and properly. Ideal Response has the expertise to manage spills of any size with speed and precision. Our rapid response team is available 24/7 and can be on-site within 2 hours of your call. Remember, when it comes to hazardous waste, timely and expert intervention is key. Ideal Response is just a call away!

Don’t let the dangers of Potassium Chromate threaten your safety. Let us take care of your Potassium Chromate spillage. Get in touch with Ideal Response now!