Atmospheric chemical corrosion is a severe threat to metal aircraft structures. A study has been initiated to investigate the extent and mechanism of the contribution of microorganisms to degradation of coatings and corrosion of aluminum. The study involves investigation of the effects of three parameters: type of inhibitor present in primer coating, presence or absence of a biocide in primer coating, and inoculation with microorganisms. Three variations of inhibitor are being studied, chromate inhibitor, a non-chromate inhibitor, and no inhibitor. The study is also designed to investigate three microorganism inoculations: fingal consortium, bacterial consortium and sterile. Current findings from the study indicated that the presence of a biocide may reduce corrosion. There is also indication that panels inoculated with abacterial consortium show more corrosion than those inoculated with a fungal consortium. Currently chromates, known to be both toxic and carcinogenic, are added to organic coatings to inhibit corrosion of aluminum alloys. The results of this investigation could provide direction in the development of environmentally safe coatings. Keywords: microbially-induced corrosion, chromium