Respirable Crystalline Silica Is a Confirmed Occupational Exposure Risk During Hydraulic Fracturing: What Do We Know About Controls? Proceedings from the Silica in the Oilfield Conference

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andronov E ; Esswein, Eric J. ; King, Bradley S. ; Ndonga M
• Description:
  Risks for occupational exposures to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) during hydraulic fracturing were first systematically evaluated and reported by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2013. At the time, NIOSH researchers determined that RCS exposures during these operations exceeded the relevant occupational exposure limits, in some cases by a factor of 10 or more. Health effects from RCS exposures can include silicosis, lung cancer, kidney and skin diseases, depending on the magnitude and duration of exposure. In response to these findings, NIOSH researchers developed recommendations for hydraulic fracturing companies to implement controls for the seven primary point sources of aerosolized RCS identified during their research. 1. Dust ejected from thief hatches on the tops of sand movers during filling. 2. Dust released from the sand mover conveyance belt. 3. Dust created from the momentum of proppant falling into the blender hopper. 4. Dust released from transfer belts when proppant is deposited onto the belt and conveyed to the blender. 5. Dust generated as proppant leaves the end of the transfer belt (i.e., "the dragon tail".) 6. Dust ejected from fill ports on the sides of sand movers during refilling operations. 7. Dust generated by wellsite traffic. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Engineering Occupational Health Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Exposure Controls Crystalline Silica Dust Exposure Dusts Engineering Controls Fracking Hierarchy Of Controls Hydraulic Fracturing Oil And Gas Extraction OSHA Silica Standard
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  WSD - Western States Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057293
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2019 Oct; 16(10):669-674
• Contact Point Address:
  Eric J. Esswein, NIOSH Western States Division, Denver Federal Center, PO Box 25226, Denver, CO 80225
• Email:
  eje1@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Oil and Gas Extraction
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7a272eee622e59c5a0b62064369b561cea8e7648c2b96831e2c0ef32a9b6df228122888d7e94ccad3316901ae7fa95356991c08f77bb3714cf47010b4c0f578a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214691/cdc_214691_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 797.06 KB ]