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Part of the book series: Archives of Toxicology ((TOXICOLOGY,volume 13))

Abstract

There is no doubt that chromium has been the most extensively investigated metal with respect to the assessment of long-term effects and to the evaluation of the underlying mechanisms. Notwithstanding the huge data-base available in the literature, many aspects, bearing both scientific and practical interest, are still unclear or controversial. This paper will briefly discuss some relevant problems, including carcinogenicity and genotoxicity of chromium compounds as related to their valency and solubility, interactions with other compounds, bioavailability to target cells and molecules, interconversion processes between different oxidation states in various body areas and cell compartments, mechanisms of chromium metabolism and carcinogenicity, and existence of thresholds in chromium carcinogenesis.

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Abbreviations

Cr(0), Cr(II), Cr(III), Cr(IV), Cr(V), Cr(VI):

chromium with oxidation state 0, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6

ELF:

epithelial-lining fluid

GSH:

reduced glutathione

PAM:

pulmonary alveolar macrophages

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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De Flora, S., Serra, D., Basso, C., Zanacchi, P. (1989). Mechanistic Aspects of Chromium Carcinogenicity. In: Chambers, P.L., Chambers, C.M., Greim, H. (eds) Biological Monitoring of Exposure and the Response at the Subcellular Level to Toxic Substances. Archives of Toxicology, vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74117-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74117-3_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-50336-1

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