Industrial Hygiene Sampling and Applications to Ambient Silica Monitoring

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hearl, Frank J.
• Description:
  Interest in ambient exposures to silica has prompted an evaluation of the applicability of the industrial hygiene sampling and analysis experience. Exposure to excessive levels of silica in the workplace has long been recognized as a risk factor for the development of a variety of disabling and sometimes fatal lung diseases. Initial efforts to control occupational exposure to dust were based on reducing exposures as measured by particle-counting techniques. Because silicosis, the disease resulting from exposure to silica, occurs in the lower airways, which can be reached only by small "respirable dust" particles, size selective sampling procedures were introduced for dust monitoring. The analysis of silica in collected dust samples also has undergone development. Initial methods used involved acid digestion of soluble silicates, with subsequent chemical analysis of the insoluble "free silica" fraction. Current methodology relies on the use of X-ray diffraction and infrared technologies to quantify these materials. However, these methods are sensitive to the particle size distribution of the samples. Standard reference materials (SRMs) have been developed for use with respirable size dust samples. Ambient particulate matter is now measured using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampling methods for particulate matter < or = 10 microns, which approximate the collection efficiency for thoracic fraction samplers. Because the existing calibration SRMs were produced for the measurement of occupational crystalline silica, the need to develop appropriate standards and methods for ambient silica measurements should be evaluated. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Environmental Monitoring Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Quartz Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Airborne-dusts Dust-exposure Dust-particles Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Industrial-dusts Occupational-exposure Particulate-dust Quartz-dust Respirable-dust Silica-dusts

  More +
• ISSN:
  1053-4245
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• 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:
  279-289
• Volume:
  7
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034020
• Citation:
  J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 1997 Jul-Sep; 7(3):279-289
• Contact Point Address:
  Mr. Frank J. Hearl, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505-2888
• Email:
  fjh1@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b7a35a6c548a653979df2c52193a5c01e2ed473f595a5f8f3f8ff772f62855c12e2d373009a186565890070702df3ba7bb27fb8fde0110b53b40d9ed8b94feb9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189408/cdc_189408_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.04 MB ]