Silica exposure limits on the cutting block

Silica exposure can cause lung cancer.

(Reuters Health) - The U.S. government is planning stricter controls on exposure to silica, a carcinogen found in workplaces ranging from dentist's offices to granite quarries, according to a new report.

Silica is powdered quartz, in particles so small they can be inhaled deep into the lungs.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 2.2 million people in the U.S. are exposed to silica at work, including 1.85 million construction workers.

Other occupations carrying a risk of silica exposure include sandblasting, mining, stone grinding, as well as ceramic and glass manufacturing. Dental assistants may be exposed if they grind silica-containing casts and porcelains.

Silica has long been known to cause silicosis, and evidence now confirms that silica exposure can cause lung cancer as well, Kyle Steenland of Emory University in Atlanta, a co-author of the new report, told Reuters Health.

Silicosis causes varying degrees of breathing difficulty, and there is no cure or treatment. Recent research has also shown that non-smokers can get lung cancer from silica exposure, and that people who develop silica-related lung cancer don't always have silicosis, Steenland and his colleague Elizabeth Ward of the American Cancer Society note.

Lower exposure limits

OSHA is planning to lower permissible levels of silica exposure from 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter of air to 0.05 mg/m3, which the agency estimates will save 700 lives per year, and prevent 1,700 cases of silicosis annually. The current standard dates back to 1971.

The preferred approach to reducing silicon exposure is to use less hazardous materials, ventilate work areas where silicon dust is produced and use water-based methods so dust can't escape into the air, Steenland said.

"Respirators may be useful for workers in short-term high exposure situations, but are generally not recommended as the primary means of exposure control due to worker discomfort, difficulties in communicating with others, lack of compliance and enforcement, and the fitting and maintenance requirements," Steenland and Ward write in their report, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians

Anyone who has been exposed to silica and smokes should quit, Steenland said in an interview. Smoking aggravates the carcinogenic effects of silica, and smokers with high silica exposure can cut their risk of lung cancer up to five-fold by quitting, according to the new report.

People with a history of silica exposure may also qualify to undergo screening for lung cancer using CT scanning, the investigators note.

OSHA recently extended the public comment period for the proposed silica exposure rule to January 27, 2014. [Update: The comment period is now extended to Feb. 11. See more info here.]

While there is always a balance between worker protection and employers' interests, "I'm fairly confident that this standard will be put into place," Steenland said.

Source: Reuters

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Silicosis suit could crush S.Africa’s gold mining sector

Source: Agence France-Presse

Thousands of ex-gold miners suffering from silicosis have launched a class action suit in South Africa, in what could prove the final nail in the coffin of the country’s battered but vital mining sector.

Already buckling under huge operational costs and seemingly endless labour unrest, some 30 gold mine operators were last month slapped with litigation by thousands of their former employees.

The plaintiffs - mostly black migrant labourers from nearby countries and South Africa’s far flung mountainous villages of the Eastern Cape region - allegedly contracted the lung disease while drilling gold bearing rocks.

Already theirs is the biggest class action in South Africa’s legal history, involving more than 17,000 complainants.

And the list is growing by around 500 people each month, according to lead attorney Richard Spoor.

That stream could very well become a torrent.

Academic calculations estimate some 280,000 people have worked in gold mines for a minimum of 10 years, long enough to inhale dangerous levels of silica dust.

When exposed for long to excessive amounts, the dust gets locked in the lungs and permanently scars the organ, resulting in silicosis, a disease that has no known cure.

Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pains and persistent cough. Sufferers are more susceptible to other lung diseases like tuberculosis.

Read More

Fracking and silica sand: A health and safety hazard

The silica sand used for fracking
puts workers at risk
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos

A work safety alert was recently sounded out in the hydraulic fracturing industry. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) both reported, after researching oil and gas well sites in five states, that workers were at risk for respiratory disease.

Though the thought that comes to mind with fracking is usually oil and gas, the two federal agencies found unusually high levels of silica sand in 80 percent of the air samples taken on the sites. In fact, the samples revealed that over 30 percent of those samples contained levels of silica that were 10 times higher than safety regulations permit.

Exposure to silica sand dust through inhalation can cause silicosis, a life-threatening lung disease. OSHA and NIOSH suggest these oil and gas companies protect their workers by limiting their exposure to the particles. Respirators and exhaust vents are among some of the solutions proposed by the agencies.

During the fracking process, silica sand is combined with water and chemicals. This fluid is pressurized and then used to help break up shale deposits in the ground, allowing workers access to the oil and natural gas.

Though OSHA and NIOSH still have to conduct testing on the effects of exposure to silica sand, at least one Wyoming company has already tested its effects and implemented safety measures. Knowledge on other companies’ plans is, as of yet, unknown but the Petroleum Association of Wyoming and The Wyoming Oil and Gas Safety Alliance have pledged their cooperation and plan to inform their members of the risks surrounding silica sand.

Do you or someone you know work in fracking? Tell us about your experiences with silica sand and how your company is dealing with the potential risks.

Source: Trib.com

Providing cleaner air

Electrocorp's I-6500 Cyclone Collectors
can extract fine particles, such as silica sand dust,
from the air

OSHA and NIOSH have made several suggestions for improving air quality. Of those recommendations is the use of exhaust vents. 

Electrocorps’s I-6500 with Cyclone Collectors provides an air cleaning option that extracts dust and fine particles from the air through a pre-filter and a HEPA filter. There also activated carbon optionsfor chemicals, odors and gases. We can also manufacture customized units for individual needs.

To speak to one of our IAQ experts about the I-6500 Cyclone Collector or for a customized unit, contact us at 1-866-667-0297.

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