Industrial hygiene survey of respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in the ready-mixed concrete industry.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Godby M
• Description:
  NIOSH has undertaken this study to investigate respirable crystalline silica exposure in the ready-mixed concrete industry. Crystalline silica occurs in three distinct types - quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite, with quartz being the predominant type of crystalline silica found at most workplaces. Cristobalite and tridymite may be somewhat more potent than quartz in causing silicosis. Cristobalite and tridymite are formed from quartz when it is exposed to high temperatures (1470 and 870 degrees centigrade, respectively). These two forms of crystalline silica are not dealt with for the purposes of this investigation, since they usually occur only in the volcanic rock of California, Colorado, and Mexico. The central ingredients in concrete have been the same since 1824, with one ingredient being silica sand. NIOSH has attempted - through this investigation - to learn the extent of employees' exposure to airborne dust containing respirable crystalline silica. This pilot study examined six ready-mix operations to gauge employee exposures to respirable crystalline silica.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical-Method Calcium-compounds Cements Concretes Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Fly-ash Industrial-exposures Quartz-dust Respirable-dust Sampling Silica-dusts Silicosis Stone-processing

  More +
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023765
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1995 Sep; :1-13
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Calcium hydroxide (CAS RN 1305-62-0) ; Calcium oxide (CAS RN 1305-78-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3273 - Ready-mixed concrete - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5907030276545de7deaf33e9bf54173a84dfb21d647d3cf03e46db3c87630533a9343f5acd914d8a51013d8102a89e91717fbf851b554fc7958516781a3d1555
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/181160/cdc_181160_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 221.60 KB ]