Silica - Its Not Just Dust!

Why Target Crystalline Silica

Exposure?
Widespread Occurrence and use -
Maritime
Agriculture
Construction
General Industry
Number of Related Deaths
Number of exposed workers
Health Effects
Occurrence of Crystalline Silica

Silicon Dioxide is basic Airborne silica is

component of sand, produced by, among
quartz, & granite other activities:
Sandblasting
Quartz is second most Rock Drilling
common mineral in Roof Bolting
earths crust Foundry Work
Stone Cutting
Drilling
Quarrying
Tunneling
Industries with Silica Exposure

Electronics Railroad ( setting &

Foundries laying track)
Ceramics, clay & Slate & flint
pottery, stone, glass quarrying & flint
Construction crushing
Agriculture Use & manufacture
of abrasives
Maritime
Manufacture of soap
Mining & detergents
Number of Silica Related Deaths
Total US deaths 1968-1990 where silica is
reported on death certificate: 13,744
people
Deaths where silicosis is reported as
underlying cause of death: 6,322 people
68% of silica related deaths reported in 12
states
10% of silica-related deaths reported from
construction industry
Number of Exposed Workers

NIOSH Hazard Alerts estimate

More than One Million Workers at Risk

More than 1,00,000 sandblasters
Health Effects

Pulmonary fibrosis (silicosis)

Acute silicosis (1 to 3 years)
Accelerated silicosis (3 to 10 years)
Chronic silicosis (5 to 25 years)
Possible Lung Cancer
Inspection Targeting
Wherever possible, inspections will be
focused to particular establishments where
known exposures to crystalline have
occurred or there are known cases of
silicosis
Process
Identify establishments
Select sites by use of random number tables
Numbers of Inspections determined by regions
Sites with effective control programs are exited
after program review
Examples of Potential Data
Sources for Targeting
Workers Compensation Data
OSHA 200 data
SENSOR - NIOSH cooperative agreements
with state agencies
State surveillance data
Hospital discharge data
OSHA data on industries with historic
exposure to crystalline silica
Additional Information Sources
for Construction
Visual observations of relevant processes
Dodge reports
University of Tennessee construction activity
reports
Elements of an effective, On-
going Control Program for
Crystalline Silica
Personal Monitoring
Medical Surveillance
Training
Availability of monitoring/Surveillance data
to workers
Respiratory Protection Program
Hygiene facilities & clothing change areas
Elements of Control Program
(continued)
Recordkeeping
Exposures below PEL or a current
program with interim protection
Housekeeping
In construction: A Safety & Health
Program
Regulated areas to limit exposures
The Hawks Nest Incident -
Americas Worst Industrial
Disaster by Martin Cherniack, MD
The Hawks Nest Tunnel - Union Carbide
& New Kanawha Power Corp.
Rinehart & Dennis, Charlottesville, VA.
Gauley Bridge, West Virginia
Drilling a tunnel for power production
Close to 1000 workers lost their lives
because of acute silicosis