Abrasive blasting may have several hazards associated with it at any given time. Abrasive blasting is more commonly known as sandblasting since silica sand has been a commonly used material as the abrasive, although not the only one always used. Abrasive blasting entails accelerating a grit of sand sized particles with compressed air to provide a stream of high velocity particles used to clean metal objects such as steel structures or provide a texture to poured concrete. This process typically produces a large amount of dust from the abrasive, anything on the substrate being abraded, and/or the substrate itself.
If the process is not completely isolated from the operator, abrasive blasting dusts are a very great health risk. Respirable dust from silica sand and other abrasive materials pose a risk to the lungs. Where abrasive blasting is used to remove lead-based paint on the steel infrastructure of bridges, it can generate particles of lead that pose a risk to the nervous system. In addition to potential health hazards, abrasive blasting can pose safety risks as well. Cleaning steel while working from scaffolding introduces a fall risk and from within industrial tanks a confined space risk. The abrasive stream itself can cause physical harm to the operator or anyone close by. There are NIOSH guidelines and OSHA regulations addressing many aspects of abrasive blasting including such things as proper airline length, and quality of breathing air provided to the abrasive blasting respirator. There is much to know about abrasive blasting and the associated hazards in order to consistently perform the task safely.
The links to external web sites included below are provided for informational purposes only. Citation should not be taken as endorsement by NIOSH of the web site content nor of the sponsoring organization.
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Comparative Pulmonary Toxicity of Blasting Sand and Five Substitute Abrasive Blasting Agents
Porter DW, Hubbs AF, Robinson VA, Battelli LA, Greskevitch M, Barger M, Landsittel D, Jones W, Castranova V. 2002. COMPARATIVE PULMONARY TOXICITY OF BLASTING SAND AND FIVE SUBSTITUTE ABRASIVE BLASTING AGENTS. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 65(16):1121-1140. External link: http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=1528%2d7394&
volume=65&issue=16 &spage=1121
Chemical Composition of Coal and Other Mineral Slags
Stettler LE, Donaldson HM, Grant GC. 1982. Chemical composition of coal and other mineral slags. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal 43(4):235-238. External link: http://oeh.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0002-8894&volume=43&issue=4&spage=235
Comparative Pulmonary Toxicity of 6 Abrasive Blasting Agents
Hubbs AF, Minhas NS, Jones W, Greskevitch M, Battelli LA, Porter DW, Goldsmith WT, Frazer D, Landsittel DP, Ma JYC, Barger M, Hill K, Schwegler-Berry D, Robinson VA, and Castranova V.
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Toxicol. Sci. 2001 61: 135-143. External link: http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/1/135
Abrasive Blasting Agents: Designing Studies to Evaluate Relative Risk
Hubbs A, Greskevitch M, Kuempel E, Suarez F, Toraason M. 2005. Abrasive Blasting Agents: Designing Studies to Evaluate Relative Risk. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 68(11):999-1016. External link: http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=1528%2d7394&volume=68
&issue=11&spage=999
The links to external web sites included below are provided for informational purposes only. Citation should not be taken as endorsement by NIOSH of the web site content nor of the sponsoring organization.
The links to external web sites included below are provided for informational purposes only. Citation should not be taken as endorsement by NIOSH of the web site content nor of the sponsoring organization.
Ergonomics of Abrasive Blasting: A Comparison of High Pressure Water and Steel Shot
Rosenberg B, Yuan L, Fulmer S. Ergonomics of Abrasive Blasting: A comparison of high pressure water and steel shot, Applied ErgonomicsVolume 37, Issue 5, , September 2006, Pages 659-667. External link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2005.05.014
Health and Safety Executive - COSHH Essentials in Construction: Silica External Link: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/cn7.pdf
A series of informative guides that describe various processes and tasks which may generate respirable crystalline silica. These guides examine work tasks in 8 different industries, and describe areas to reduce exposure to workers. The HSE-UK developed the guides, which were then translated into Spanish by NIOSH. en Espanol External Link: http://bravo.ilo.org/public/spanish/protection/safework/coshh_essentials_silica/index.htm
This site contains documents in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access the file. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, you may download a free copy from the Adobe Web site.
