OSHA published an updated final rule in March 2016.
Crystalline silica update#
Technology advancements and demands for safer work conditions prompted OSHA to update their silica exposure rule to reflect these changes. The PEL was based on studies conducted in the 1960s. In 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognized respirable crystalline silica as a health hazard and established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for it. In this article, we’ll focus on crystalline silica exposure as amorphous silica hasn’t been linked to adverse health effects. Silica comes in two forms: crystalline and amorphous. Most particles are 100 times smaller than sand found on beaches. Silica sand is especially problematic because it is grainy and dusty, even in its natural state. Whenever materials containing crystalline silica - masonry, brick, stone, concrete, glass - are sawn, drilled, chipped or crushed, silica dust is created and released.
Silica is benign in its undisturbed state but becomes a health hazard when the solid crystals are reduced to tiny dust particles that can be easily inhaled. You can’t drill a well or dig a mine without encountering silica and it’s essential in the manufacture of fine china, glass and ceramics. Common building materials, like concrete, cement, sandpaper, sandstone, granite and limestone, also contain silica. It is also used as filler in a variety of plastic materials, rubber and house paint, as well as sheet rock, batteries, optics, refractory materials, iron and steel. Silica is a naturally occurring mineral that is used to create many useful products. More than half of the Earth’s crust is comprised of silica and about 95 percent of rocks contain it. When crystalline silica particles are inhaled, they can cause irreversible health problems including silicosis, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Read on to learn more about the timeline to implement the new lower exposure limits and the processes that will improve employee health and minimize exposure.Įach day, about 295,000 general industry workers and two million construction workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica. OSHA recently updated the permissible exposure limits for respirable crystalline silica.
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