Silica, Crystalline

Background and Health Impacts. What is crystalline silica? How can exposure to crystalline silica affect workers' health? Who is at risk from exposure to crystalline silica? What is the relationship between silica exposure and lung cancer? How does the crystalline silica rule protect workers' health? Rule Requirements.

Crystalline Silica

How are people exposed to crystalline silica? Exposure to tiny particles of airborne silica, primarily quartz dust, occurs mainly in industrial and occupational settings. For example, workers who use handheld masonry saws to cut materials such as concrete and brick may be exposed to airborne silica.

Crystalline Silica: Health Risks | NIOSH | CDC

Medical monitoring or surveillance of workers can help identify health effects related to respirable crystalline silica exposure. An important concern is the risk of developing silicosis, a progressive and irreversible lung disease. Silica exposure can also impair lung function by causing COPD.

Crystalline Silica | NIOSH | CDC

Exposures can occur during the following activities: Manufacturing of glass, pottery, ceramics, bricks, concrete, and artificial stone. Abrasive blasting. Foundry work. Hydraulic fracturing. Stonecutting. Rock drilling. Quarry work. Tunneling. There are various industries where workers can have jobs at risk for RCS exposure. Examples include:

Crystalline Silica: Exposure Assessment | NIOSH | CDC

Assessing employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica is critically important to determine the need for exposure controls and personal protective equipment. This page provides NIOSH and other related methods for monitoring and measuring respirable crystalline silica exposure.

Silica, Crystalline

About 2.3 million people in the U.S. are exposed to silica at work. Workers who inhale these very small crystalline silica particles are at increased risk of developing serious silica-related diseases, including: Silicosis, an incurable lung disease that can lead to disability and death; Lung cancer; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD ...

Silica, Crystalline

Exposure to respirable crystalline silica is related to the development of autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular impairment. These occupational diseases are life-altering and debilitating disorders that annually affect thousands of workers across the United States.