Consequences of increased content of hexavalent chromium in cement – Part 2: At demolition, recycling, and landfill. The evaluation shows that using cement with increased levels of soluble hexavalent chromium can cause compliance problems when concrete is demolished, recycled, or used as crushed material in infrastructure projects. Since the initial leaching may be disregarded for crushed concrete from demolition of structures aimed for landfill, leaching tests (percolation tests) comparing concrete with 2 ppm and 9 ppm Cr(VI) demonstrate that for landfill classification the long-term leaching of a concrete with a cement with 9 ppm Cr(VI) clearly exceeds the allowed limit, while concrete with a 2 ppm cement does not. According to the Swedish recommendations for using crushed concrete in areas where the environmental risk must be less than modest there is also a risk that the material fails to meet the limit for total chromium content, regardless of the Cr(VI) level. Leaching itself is acceptable at 2 ppm, but at 9 ppm the leaching limits will be exceeded. The relevance of the Swedish low limit for total chromium when less than moderate risk apply can be questioned, since it disqualifies also certain Swedish rocks and gravels used alone, the water-soluble part of the chromium is less than 0,2 % and the limit is considerably lower than the limit at which the ground may be considered contaminated. All results are based on tests performed on dry crushed concrete. Since Cr(VI) is highly soluble, using a wet extraction process, such as wet sieving, could potentially reduce the subsequent leaching. For infrastructure applications, the material could also be reused as part of new concrete or asphalt, where these limits do not apply. Although 9 ppm Cr(VI) is high compared with today’s cement standards, older Swedish concrete can contain cements with up to 15 ppm. One should also take into account that Cr(VI) levels in crushed concrete may be increased when natural aggregate in concrete is replaced with recycled crushed concrete, especially if the recycled fraction originates from older structures. Overall conclusion Knowledge about leaching properties — and, when required, total chromium content — are necessary for any crushed concrete that will be used in infrastructure projects, placed on the ground for longer periods, or used as landfill cover. This applies to both new and old concrete, and to concrete made with natural as well as recycled aggregates.