Original scientific paper
Determination of Total Chromium in Tanned Leather Samples used in Car Industry
Michaela Zeiner
Iva Rezić
Darko Ujević
Ilse Steffan
Abstract
Despite the high competition of synthetic fibers leather is nowadays still widely used for many applications. In order
to ensure a sufficient stability of the skin matrix against many factors, such as microbial degradation, heat and sweat, a
tanning process is indispensable. Using chromium (III) for this purpose offers a multitude of advantages, thus this way
of tanning is widely applied. During the use of chromium tanned leather as clothing material as well as for decoration/
covering purposes, chromium is extracted from the leather and may then cause nocuous effects to human skin, e.g.
allergic reactions. Thus the knowledge of the total chromium content of leather samples expected to come into prolonged
touch with human skin is very important. In car industry leather is used as cover for seats, steering wheel and gearshift
lever. The chromium contents of ten chromium tanned leather samples used in car industry were determined. First all
samples were dried at 65°C overnight and then cut in small pieces using a ceramic knife, weighed and analyzed by inductively
coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after acidic microwave assisted digestion. The total
chromium amounts found were in the range from 19 mg/g up to 32 mg/g. The extraction yield of chromium from leather
samples in sweat is approximately 2–7%. Thus especially during long journeys in summer chromium can be extracted in
amounts which may cause nocuous effects for example on the palm of the hands or on the back.
Keywords
chromium; leather; car textiles; seat covers; contact allergy
Hrčak ID:
64748
URI
Publication date:
7.3.2011.
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