Chromium

Chromium another mineral in the ever extending list of minerals. What is chromium? Chromium is a steel gray hard metal, that can be polished to a shiny silver and has a high melting point. It is odorless, tasteless and malleable.

Chromium is mined as chromite and about two-fifths of the chromite ores and concentrates in the world are produced in South Africa.Other substantial producers of chromite are Kazakhstan, Indian, Russia and Turkey.

There are lots of different uses of chromium. In metallurgy chromium can be used as a surface layer to prevent oxidation of the underlying material and apply a shiny finish to all kinds of different products. A well-known example for a chromium shiny finish is a chopper motorcycle. Chromium is also used in dyes and paints (green, yellow and red colors of different chromium forms. In medicine chromium is used as a dietary supplement or slimming aid. Chromium weight loss information can be found all over the Internet and in scientific journals. Chromium picolinate is actually the form used for weight loss supplements. Benefits of chromium picolinate are reduction of weight and help with chromium deficiencies. Unfortunately recent research has shown some dangers of chromium picolinate.

Other interesting chromium facts include its ability to help with insulin health in the human body, especially in the blood. Small trace amounts of chromium are required for sugar metabolism in humans and therefore there is strong link between chromium and diabetes. The popular dietary supplement chromium picolinate has been shown to generate damage in certain chromosomes in the body. The chromium picolinate weight loss dosage and dietary guidelines were lowered from 50-200μg to approximately 25-35μg for adults.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral and usually not considered a health hazard, however several versions and forms of chromium are toxic and can lead to chromium toxicity. A leathal dose of poisonous chromium can be as little as half a teaspoon if ingested or inhaled. Different forms of chromium can cause other chromium side effects such as eye, skin and mucus membrane irritation. An important bit of information about chromium is also that one form of chromium is a known carcinogen. Even some movies have shown interest in chromium's bad uses. One example is Erin Brockovich where a form of chromium, hexavalent chromium was released into drinking water. The world Health Organization recommends a maximum allowable concentration in drinking water for chromium of 0.05 mg per liter.