Respirable Dust and Crystalline Silica (Quartz) Exposure Resulting from Potato Harvesting Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beard M ; Berberet LJ ; Buchan R
• Description:
  Occupational exposure to silica dust has historically been known to cause chronic respiratory conditions. Workers and workplaces within agricultural industries remain removed from the attention of occupational health and safety. The identification and degree of exposure to respirable dust, crystalline silica, and endotoxins throughout the potato harvesting process has been uncharacterized. A description of the potential occupational risks in this setting was therefore warranted. The purpose of this research was to identify the components of dust during the fall potato harvest in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado. The agricultural practices specific to potato harvest, the geographic region, and the soil of San Luis Valley are believed to contribute to occupational risk. Testing sites included seven farms in this region, chosen based on their location, variable soil types, and owner interest. The following parameters: respirable dust, respirable silica, bacterial endotoxins, and particle identification by scanning electron microscopy were measured. All exposures were based on 8-h time-weighted averages. Exposure impact included: location of the farm, soil type (sand, rock, loam), job description, weather conditions; wind, rain, wet or dry soil during harvest, humidity, and temperature. Results of air monitoring include 122 samples collected, 93 revealed the presence of respirable dust, 18 detected respirable silica (quartz). The maximum respirable dust exposure was 5.05 mg/m3, respirable silica 0.105 mg/m3, and percent silica of 12.85%. This information will allow employers to recognize where respirable dust and silica are generated and allow for planning and control implementation to adequately protect workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Dust Endotoxins Environmental Health Environmental Monitoring Farmers Irritants Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Silicon Dioxide

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural-industry Agricultural-processes Agricultural-products Agricultural-workers Air-quality-monitoring Analytical-instruments Analytical-processes Author Keywords: Silica Dust-inhalation Dust-measurement Dust-particles Dust-sampling Dusts Endotoxin Environmental-factors Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Exposure-methods Respirable Dust Respiratory-irritants Risk-analysis Risk-factors Scanning Electron Microscopy Silica-dusts Soil-analysis Soil-bacteria Time-weighted Average Tuber

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• ISSN:
  1074-7583
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  97-108
• Volume:
  5
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20035529
• Citation:
  J Agric Saf Health 1999 Feb; 5(1):97-108
• Contact Point Address:
  L. J. Berberet, Colorado State University Health and Safety Consultant, Dept. of Environmental Health, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• Email:
  lorib@amar.colostate.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1999
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Fort Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20030929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:faa6be7570333debc20a08067a3d8c9da798e1c727ef3e741cacfed7991a6a34f887ec70fbf921bc1691925d1e762cc8722bbcaf47c072f541067e5ae6968a1c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187359/cdc_187359_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 65.35 KB ]