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SILICA SAFETY: PROTECT YOUR HEALTH, PROTECT YOUR FUTURE!
Protecting yourself from silica exposure is essential to safeguarding your health and preventing serious long-term issues. Whether you’re working in construction, manufacturing, or any other environment where silica dust is present, always prioritize safety. Wear appropriate protective equipment like respirators, ensure proper ventilation, and follow workplace safety guidelines. By taking these precautions, you can reduce the risks of lung diseases such as silicosis and protect your overall well-being for years to come.
WHY IS SILICA A HAZARD?
Silica exposure doesn’t start to display debilitating symptoms right away. Workers need to inhale a certain volume of the particles everyday for the health challenges to manifest.
There is no official cure for silicosis, which is an illness caused by repeated exposure. Supportive care is the extent of relief that patients can expect. Silica also causes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney failure.
WHAT IS CRYSTALLINE SILICA DUST?
Crystalline silica, also known as free silica, is predominantly found as quartz in almost all mineral deposits. Quartz is present in common rocks like granite, sandstone, limestone, shale, and traprock. It is the main component of sand and is found in many soils.
WHAT IS CRYSTALLINE SILICA DUST?
Silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling tiny particles of silica, a mineral found in sand, rock, and mineral ores such as quartz. It primarily affects workers in industries like mining, glass manufacturing, and foundry work. Over time, inhaling silica particles leads to lung scarring, impairing the ability to breathe.
KEY FACTS
- There are three types of silicosis: acute, chronic, and accelerated.
- It affects workers in mines, foundries, sandblasting, and glass manufacturing.
- Approximately 2 million US workers are potentially exposed to occupational silica.
- There is no cure for silicosis, but it can be prevented.
TYPE OF SILICOSIS
- Acute Silicosis: Causes cough, weight loss, and fatigue within a few weeks to years of exposure to inhaled silica.
- Chronic Silicosis: Appears 10 to 30 years after exposure, affecting the upper lungs and sometimes causing extensive scarring.
- Accelerated Silicosis: Develops within 10 years of high-level exposure.
CONTROLS
As mining methods have evolved and become more mechanized, dust control measures have also advanced. Key control methods in mining operations include:
- Water: Wet materials during processing.
- Ventilation Systems: Improve air quality.
- Isolation: Use work practices and remote control to protect miners.
- Environmental Cabs: Install on surface equipment to protect operators.
Additional measures include:
- Enclosing crushers and transfer points and adding water sprays.
Watering haul roads to reduce dust.
HEALTH IMPACT
Silicosis can develop within weeks to decades after exposure. Inhaling silica dust leads to fluid buildup and scar tissue in the lungs, reducing the ability to breathe. This can result in lung scarring, cough, weight loss, and fatigue.
SILICOSIS
Protect Your Lungs,
Preserve Your Life.
CEMSTONE SUPPLY CAN HELP
WITH PPE PROTECTIONS
The proper PPE is essential to protect yourself from Silicosis and Cemstone Supply can help! Ensure respirators fit properly, are regularly inspected, and replaced as needed. Also, protect yourself with gloves, goggles, and protective clothing to reduce skin and eye contact with RCS-containing materials. Check out our website for Respirators & Masks Eye Protection, & Gloves
Visit our Safety Blog for previous versions of our Safety News!
