Follow-Up on Mount St. Helens: 1980/06/06

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Allard, J. ; Beare, J. A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Bureau of Epidemiology
• Description:
  First analyses of settled volcanic dust collected in Washington State have been completed at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati. No significant elevations for any of 30 trace metals tested have been found. On May 18 and 19, Region X of the Environmental Protection Agency reported that levels of total suspended particulates in the air ranged as high as 30,000-35,000 microg/m3 in the most heavily affected areas-levels which could potentially cause respiratory disease in the general population. Preliminary NIOSH analyses have confirmed the presence of cristobalite at a concentration of 4%-6% of the total ash. Cristobalite is 1 of the 3 most common crystalline forms of free silica encountered in industry. Silicosis is an industrial disease that follows prolonged inhalation of free (crystalline) silica (chemical structure SiO2). At this low level of cristobalite in the ash, the potential for silicosis needs to be evaluated in workers who breathe high concentrations of fine particles of this ash for prolonged periods. (Erratum: In the table to the article "Follow-up on Mount St. Helens,"the second number under Idaho should be 609, not 690, as written.) [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Emergencies Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silicon Dioxide

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Crystalline Silica Dust Exposure Dust Inhalation Dust Measurement Environmental Contamination Environmental Health Monitoring Environmental Pollution Hazardous Materials Health Effects Humans Particulate Dust Respirable Dust Respiratory Health Respiratory Irritants Respiratory System Disorders Silica Dusts Silicon Compounds Silicon Dioxide Silicosis Surveillance Volcanic Ash Volcanoes

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• 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 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  22
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054682
• Citation:
  MMWR 1980 Jun; 29(22):263-264
• CAS Registry Number:
  Cristobalite (CAS RN 14464-46-1) ; Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1980
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:40509862d1ca904f4548c937d3c3b2e1d0f0f9b65d2d3ec0694901c586d4bab324c1d6ef6bbf40cf8c84f41d221f7114e2d7250d4d735b31255875e6a1defccd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183112/cdc_183112_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 322.49 KB ]