A joint Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Alert defines dust control measures to protect workers from significant
crystalline silica exposure during manufacturing, finishing, and installing natural and manufactured stone countertops, leading types of which bear 60-95 percent silica content.
Abrasive blasting with silica sand, often used to prepare surfaces for painting, has been associated with exposures up to 200 times the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-recommended exposure limit for respirable
crystalline silica dust (0.
The new rule reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable
crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter ([micro]g/[m.
Occupational exposure to respirable
crystalline silica can occur in mining, hydraulic fracking, foundry work, abrasive blasting operations, paint manufacturing, glass and concrete product manufacturing brick making, china and pottery manufacturing, and construction activities, such as cutting and drilling stone and rock, masonry work, and jack-hammering
The findings in this report highlight continued lack of knowledge about proper selection and use of respirators and other silicosis-prevention practices among workers in occupations with exposures to
crystalline silica.
VCT floor tile: Existing in-place resilient floor coverings and asphaltic adhesives may contain asbestos fibers and/or
crystalline silica.
Respirable
Crystalline Silica is one of the most abundant materials in the Earths crust.
Circuit Court of Appeals for review of the
crystalline silica rule.
According to OSHA,
crystalline silica is a common mineral found in many naturally occurring materials and used in many industrial products and at construction sites.
The final rule establishes a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable
crystalline silica of 50 micrograms as an eighthour time-weighted average that was opposed by industry as unnecessary, not feasible, and not supported by scientific evidence.
5 [micro]m and smaller) and
crystalline silica (quartz).
Silicosis is a potentially fatal but preventable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling respirable
crystalline silica (silica) (1).
