Current Trends: Silicosis: Cluster in Sandblasters – Texas, and Occupational Surveillance for Silicosis

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Fleming, D. ; Maynard, D. ; McKinney, B. ; Perrotta, Dennis M. ; Pichette, J. ; Schulze, L.
• Description:
  A cluster of silicosis cases was reported among sandblasters in Texas who had worked at a facility that sandblasted drilling pipes for oil fields. All were Hispanic males who were 24 to 50yr old when diagnosed. An investigation of all ten cases, including a review of the most recent chest X-rays and lung biopsy reports revealed that each worker had a history of occupational exposure to silica (14808607) and also had a chest X-ray indicative of pneumoconiosis. Lung biopsy reports for eight patients revealed the presence of silicotic nodules or silicotic alveolar proteinosis. The workers had been employed in sandblasting work for a mean of 8yr. The sandblasting operation involved passing a rod containing a 1 to 1 mixture of flint/garnet which contained 20.5% free silica through the drilling pipes under pressure. Personal air samples collected at the worksite contained respirable free silica levels ranging from 400 to 700 micrograms per cubic meter (microg/m3), well above the current OSHA standard of 100microg/m3. None of the workers wore supplied air respirators while sandblasting. They wore only disposable respirators. An editorial note discussed surveillance of silicosis among sandblasters. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Industrial-hygiene NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Respiratory-system-disorders Sand-blasting Silica-dusts Surveillance-programs
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• 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:
  6 pdf pages
• Volume:
  39
• Issue:
  25
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00232214
• Citation:
  MMWR 1990 Jun; 39(25):433-437
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1990
• NORA Priority Area:
  Pulmonary System Disorders
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b566723ae30e2cb5d1a97de151d8a1684bcf1bf1487a60c597269998bbee23cf0b04355eb6621d4295d0c92f117a55381e2812c64f3e68851ddfd8d091899591
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183062/cdc_183062_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 513.88 KB ]