A certain type of chrome plating, the processing of which is said to be more toxic than diesel fumes, is now being phased out at Stellantis.
Chrome has long been something car manufacturers have used to make their cars look more exclusive. Almost as long, however, some car owners have painted or put foil over the chrome strips to hide them.
But that will soon no longer be necessary. For now, Stellantis promises, among other things owns Peugeot, Citroën and Opel, as the first car group to phase out the use of a specific type of chrome.
CNN writes that.
However, Stellantis is not removing the chrome type from the shelves because the decoration on the cars is outdated. It is about the fact that the technique behind it is considered to be extremely toxic.
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The so-called hexavalent chromium is i.a. carcinogenic and is hundreds of times more toxic to inhale than, for example, particles from the exhaust of diesel cars.
– It is 500 times more toxic than particulate emissions from diesel exhaust and has no known exposure level that is considered safe, reads a statement from the US authorities.
However, the phasing out of hexavalent chromium means that car brands have to look for a new alternative. It is not straightforward. The alternatives that already exist do not work as well on cars.
The problem is that the gloss is not as good in the alternatives that already exist, says Stellantis' North American design manager Ralph Gilles.
Hexavalent chromium is not dangerous once it is on the cars. The owners of Stellantis cars with chrome on them do not have to fear that they are driving around something carcinogenic.
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