Total and soluble chromium, nickel and cobalt content in the main materials used in the manufacturing of Spanish commercial cements

One of the problems that some industries, and more specifically cement industries, still have to deal with is the requirement to determine and control the content of some chromium, nickel and cobalt compounds due to their allergenic effects on human health (mainly cement dermatitis). This paper focuses on the quantification of total and soluble chromium, nickel and cobalt content in different materials used normally in the manufacturing of Spanish commercial cements (limestone, clay minerals, raws and clinkers). These materials belong to three different cement factories, which could be representative of Spanish Portland cements. This study is a follow-up of a previous research carried out by the same authors, which provides a valuable contribution to establish possible limitations of these allergenic compounds in future national as well as international standards. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.