Inhaling Silica Dust Can Cause Deadly Lung Disease

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Inhaling Silica Dust Can Cause Deadly Lung Disease [English]
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Crystalline silica is found in granite, artificial/engineered stone, and other stone products.
  
  When workers cut, grind, drill, or polish these materials, very small particles of crystalline silica dust get in the air.
  
  Breathing in these very small (respirable) crystalline silica particles can cause irreversible scarring in the lungs, trouble breathing, permanent disability, and death.
  
  Crystalline silica dust can also cause lung cancer, kidney damage, and autoimmune disease.
  
  Employers must ensure that workers are protected from exposure to crystalline silica. Minimize exposures through effective engineering controls and work practices. Assess employee exposures to crystalline silica dust to assure they are not above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 μg/m3pdf iconexternal icon, averaged over an 8-hour work day. Provide and ensure proper use of respirators until exposures are reduced below the PEL or if exposures cannot be reduced with engineering controls and work practices. Provide initial and periodic medical examinations to exposed workers. Train workers on the health hazards, workplace exposures, measures implemented to protect workers, and their roles in protection
  
  
• Subjects:
  Autoimmune Diseases Dust Inhalation Exposure Kidney Diseases Lung Diseases Lung Injury Neoplasms Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Silicon Dioxide

  More +
• Keywords:
  Crystalline Silica Silica Silica Dust
• Series:
  NIOSH Infographics
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Still Image
• Genre:
  Infographic
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania ; United States
• Rights:
  Public Domain
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:na
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9) ; Silica, Crystalline (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ee09e11be5bff98e4e4cbd29584d2307952659629bd1e8abace327b04ffafdfba9eac93aaad715292ee4c18bd238a1fe21912e39751be5864641411ef1e62bb8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/80079/cdc_80079_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 261.68 KB ]