"Products from auto exhaust system corrosion"

Question:

"I have been trying to find information concerning the chemical composition of the corrosion product that makes up the flaky, dusty 'rust' typical of severly corroded SS tail pipes and mufflers. In particular is it likely that chromate salts will be abundant, and as such, pose a health threat to those who replace such things? Is it reasonable to expect ferric chromate as a significant component of such rust?"

Answer:

It is easy enough to have tailpipe corrosion products analyzed using x-ray diffraction techniques to answer your question. In my opinion, I would not expect to see ferric chromate in the corrosion products. Depending on the environmental conditions causing the corrosion, I would expect most corrosion products to consist of base metal oxides. If road salt is present, a chloride might also be present.

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