NIOSH
HAZARD REVIEW
Health
Effects of Occupational Exposure
to
Respirable Crystalline Silica
|
Table
2. Main industries and activities around the world in which
silica exposure has been reported |
||
|
Industry
or activity
|
Operations
and tasks
|
Source
materials
|
| Agriculture | Plowing, harvesting, using machinery, burning agricultural waste, processing agricultural products | Soil |
| Mining and related milling operations | Most occupations (underground, surface, mill) and mines (metal and nonmetal, coal), rock drilling, dredging | Ores, associated rock |
| Quarrying and related milling operations | Crushing stone, sand and gravel processing, stone monument cutting and abrasive blasting, slate work (e.g., pencil manufacturing), diatomite calcination | Sandstone, granite, flint, sand, gravel, slate, diatomaceous earth |
| Construction | Abrasive blasting of structures and buildings, highway and tunnel construction, excavation and earth moving and digging, masonry, concrete work, demolition, dry sweeping and brushing, pressurized air blowing, jack hammering, laying railroad track, removing rust or paint, sanding and scaling, replacement of asphalt roofing, and hauling, pouring, mixing, or dumping silica-containing materials | Sand, concrete, rock, soil, mortar, plaster, shingles |
| Glass, including fiberglass | Raw material processing, refractory installation and repair | Sand, crushed quartz, refractory materials |
| Cement | Raw material processing | Clay, sand, limestone, diatomaceous earth |
| Abrasives | Silicon carbide production, abrasive products fabrication | Sand, tripoli, sandstone |
| Ceramics, including bricks, tiles, sanitary ware, porcelain, pottery, refractories, vitreous enamels | Mixing, molding, glaze or enamel spraying, finishing, sculpting, firing | Clay, shale, flint, sand, quartzite, diatomaceous earth |
| Iron and steel mills | Refractory preparation and furnace repair | Refractory material |
| Silicon and ferro-silicon foundries (ferrous and nonferrous) | Raw materials handling, casting, molding and shaking out, abrasive blasting, fettling, furnace installation and repair | Sand, refractory material |
| Metal products, including structural metal, machinery, transportation equipment | Abrasive blasting | Sand |
| Shipbuilding and repair | Abrasive blasting | Sand |
| Rubber and plastics | Raw materials handling | Fillers (tripoli, diatomaceous earth) |
| Paint | Raw materials handling, site preparation | Fillers (tripoli, diatomaceous earth, silica flour) |
| Soaps and cosmetics | Manufacturing or occupational use of abrasive soaps and scouring powders | Silica flour |
| Roofing asphalt felt | Filling and granule application | Sand and aggregate, diatomaceous earth |
| Agricultural chemicals | Raw material crushing, handling, bagging; or dumping products or raw materials | Phosphate ores and rock |
| Jewelry | Cutting, grinding, polishing, buffing, etching, engraving, casting, chipping, sharpening, sculpting | Semiprecious gems or stones, abrasives, glass |
| Arts, crafts, sculpture | Pottery firing, ceramics, clay mixing, kiln repairs, abrasive blasting, sand blasting, engraving, cutting, grinding, polishing, buffing, etching, casting, chipping, sharpening, sculpting | Clays, glazes, bricks, stones, rocks, minerals, sand, silica flour |
| Dental material | Sand blasting, polishing | Sand, abrasives |
| Boiler scaling | Coal-fired boilers | Ash and concretions |
| Automobile repair | Abrasive blasting, sanding, removing paint and rust | Sand, metals, priming putty |
| Sources: IARC [1987; 1997], NIOSH [1979a; 1983a,b; 1996b], DOL, NIOSH [1997], Fulekar and Alam Khan [1995], Jain et al. [1977], Corn [1980], Webster [1982], Froines et al. [1986], Davis [1996], Weill et al. [1994], Lucas and Salisbury [1992], Pike [1992], McCunney et al. [1987], Fairfax [1998]. | ||
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