Progress in researches on pulmonary carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium and its mechanism: a review

Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is obtained by heating trivalent chromium in minerals under aerobic conditions, which is widely used in industrial production. Published studies have proved that Cr(VI) can induce oxidative stress, DNA damage and chromosome instability, produce cytotoxicity and genetic damage, and increase the risk of lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, toxic damage of liver and kidney, cardiac dysfunction, allergic contact dermatitis, chromium ulcer, and other related diseases. Long-term occupational exposure to Cr(VI) can lead to lung cancer. In recent years, Cr(VI) compounds have been listed as hazardous chemicals in China′s List of Priority Chemicals (the first batch) and List of Toxic and Harmful Water Pollutants (the first batch). Based on the recent literature, we summarized potential molecular mechanism of Cr(VI)-induced lung cancer from three aspects: the cytotoxicity of Cr(VI), the animals exposed to Cr(VI) and the people exposed to Cr(VI), for providing references to relevant researches.