Chrome tanning is the most widely used tanning system worldwide because of its advantages. Occupational exposure to chromium among tannery workers is mainly to the inorganic Cr (III) form. Aim of work: The study aimed at monitoring the level of chromium in both blood and urine among tannery workers and clarifying the effect of increased chromium level in the body on the level of free iron in blood and transferrin based on the fact that both chromium and iron compete for binding sites on transferrin protein. Lipid peroxidation was estimated through measuring the level of malondialdehyde
(MDA) in blood. Methods : This work has been carried out in five small- to medium-sized Egyptian tanneries, in Misr Al kadema area in Cairo. The study population was composed of an exposed group (n=50) and a matched control group (n= 30).Every subject was subjected to estimation of chromium and iron in both blood and urine. Measurement of transferrin , MDA in blood and blood haemoglobin were done. Results: There was significant increase in the level of the measured parameters among the exposed subjects compared to controls except for haemoglobin which was insignificantly lower among the exposed group. There was significant positive correlation between chromium in urine and blood on one hand and free iron in blood and urine and serum MDA on the other. Also there was significant negative correlation
between chromium in urine and blood on one hand and haemoglobin on the other.