seems like the EU are banning it
Chrome plating as we know it will disappear forever if new European Union regulations come into operation, classic experts have warned.
The problem centres around the use of hexavalent chromium which is on the list of substances banned under EU regulation 1907/2006. It is acknowledged by the EU as a carcinogen, and chronic exposure has been linked with lung cancer – affecting those who work in the plating industry.
However, chrome plating experts have spoken to CCFS about their concerns over switching to the proposed substitute trivalent chromium.
The problem with this substitute is that the peculiar blue brightness associated with traditional chrome has proved difficult to reproduce, and trivalent does not self-repair like hexavalent, so if the surface is scratched the part will corrode.
Unless an exclusion is sought and granted, hexavalent chromium will disappear as a decorative finish by 2019 at the latest, and follows on from a ban on it being used in car production across the EU since 2007.