Evaluation of Respirable Crystalline Silica in High School Ceramics Classrooms

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alaves V ; Fechser M ; Larson R ; Sleeth D
• Description:
  Air concentrations of respirable crystalline silica were measured in eleven (11) high school ceramics classrooms located in Salt Lake County, UT, USA. Respirable dust was collected on PVC filters using precision flow pumps and cyclone samplers (n = 44). Filters were subsequently analyzed for respirable dust and percent crystalline silica content. The geometric mean of the silica concentrations was 0.009 mg/m3 near the teacher's work station and 0.008 mg/m3 near the kilns. The number of students in the classroom was correlated to the silica concentration in the ceramics classroom, but no correlation was found between the silica concentrations and either the size of the classroom or the age of the building. Results from this study indicate that ceramics teachers may be at an increased risk of exposure to crystalline silica based on the ACGIH TLV of 0.025 mg/m3, with an exceedance of 21%. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ceramics Dust Education Environmental Monitoring Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Air Sampling Author Keywords: Crystalline Silica Crystalline Silica Particulate Matter Particulates Pottery Respirable Dust Schools Teachers Teaching
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 8 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067386
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2014 Feb; 11(2):1250-1260
• Contact Point Address:
  Darrah Sleeth, Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
• Email:
  darrah.sleeth@hsc.utah.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:89442814ba7b4ae2a62d01a830b63b0ee889446f393db9c4eca7ab8e8a78e7b3c88c1bfad995a19ffa09b2e955af00185076049ba0f885d9502a50a799a88b27
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231437/cdc_231437_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.95 KB ]