By John Ensor • Published: 23 Feb 2024 • 9:26
Line-up of new cars. Credit: Wellnhofer Designs/Shutterstock.com
Could a car’s colour be detrimental to the environment and public health? In a landmark move, the European Union has declared that chrome elements on vehicles will be phased out starting in 2024.
This decision will affect cars and motorcycles across Europe, including Spain. Despite their popularity among luxury vehicles and classic car enthusiasts, chrome finishes have been found to significantly harm the environment and human health.
The European Commission pinpointed hexavalent chromium as the culprit behind the ban. This substance, released during the chrome plating process, poses a grave environmental threat.
Studies have revealed that this process can emit pollutants over 500 times more toxic than those from diesel engines.
The announcement of the ban on hexavalent chromium in the European Union took place through the REACH directive in 2017, giving industries seven years to seek alternatives.
The health implications of hexavalent chromium are alarming. Inhalation of particles of this material or fumes containing hexavalents can be highly harmful to those who handle this material, revealing the urgency of the ban. The substance is known to cause lung and nose cancer, as well as liver damage and reproductive problems.
For those owning vehicles with chrome finishes, there’s no need to worry. The EU’s prohibition targets the manufacture of new vehicles from 2024 onwards, not existing ones.
However, it must be remembered that any colour change to a vehicle must be reported to the Direccion General de Trafico (DGT) and insurance providers, to comply with regulations and insurance policies.
Manufacturers are already exploring safer alternatives to chrome finishes. Renault, for example, has introduced cars with coloured moldings made from natural materials like slate and cork.
These innovations aim to maintain the aesthetic appeal of vehicles without compromising on environmental and health standards.
When it comes to safety, it appears that not all car colours are equal. A study by carVertical found that brown, yellow, and red vehicles are more prone to accidents, colours which they allege are generally chosen by drivers who want to stand out from the crowd and are usually associated with a more risky driving style.
Choosing a car’s colour is more than a matter of personal taste. It’s also about safety and environmental responsibility. As the EU moves away from chrome finishes, it’s a reminder of the broader impact our choices can have.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.
Good luck with that. You try telling, Mercedes, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Harley Davidson stop using a chrome finish.
What is next a ban on chromium Smart phones any one? what a pathetic waste of peoples taxes funding these idiots, the whole system in the EU needs root and branch reform starting from the top down!!!
The EU is becominig more and more stupid, arrogant, ignorant and completely out of touch with everything and everyone in the Planet. They are forgetting that the biggest Problem on our Planet is overpopulation. But we still have to take more and more people into Europe.
So glad we had Brexit, otherwise the UK would also be forced to comply with these (and many other) ridiculous rules.
That’s all right then. Just keep on insisting on battery powered cars that produces hideous anounts of pollution in the mining of the raw materials and all the green-house gases in their general production.
I seem to have stumbled into Bullshit Central. Just more EU craving for POOP, Power Over Other People. The sooner the EU implodes, the better.
Anyone wanting to know about Hexavalent Cromium watch Erin Brockovich, one of Julia Roberts best movies. But this is not about drinking water and is a good example of when Europe goes too far in trying to standardise everybody and everything.
In the UK, was it around mid 1970´s that chrome was discontinued on cars for safety reasons for being blinded by reflections of the sun, whilst driving. So was the rest of Europe happily using chrome whilst UK built and bought cars looked dull?
This is another example of the non democratic corrupt EU government. Almost everyday we get new laws from the EU. These laws were never discussed with EU citizens, it is just announced as a law, this has got to stop. There are a group of unelected people introducing laws and it is wrong wrong wrong. The EU parliment is just a useless rubber stamp and it has to stop. WAKE UP PEOPLE, PAY ATTENTION, THESE CORRUPT EU OFFICIALS ARE ERODING YOUR FREEDOM EVERY DAY.
I find this to be a complete non story chroming like painting us done is a sealed environment woth huge multistage filters and water washes that are then treated non of these particulates make it to the environment
A few years ago yellow cars were said to be safer because they were more visible to other road users. Grey and green cars blended into the hedges. There are too many useless psychologists with degrees from the Open University talking nonsense.
lol this is so stupid, I’ve worked in places that do this and other metal treatments, such as anodised in the aircraft industry and private companies, you have to have proper extraction and filtration you can’t just work there without, acid for cleaning etc, a lot of vapour, as said here haven’t these unelected bureaucrats anything better to worry about, so much money wasted on non jobs.
Comments are closed.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.