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OSHA Offers Health Info on Crystalline Silica
03/14/2003 - New OSHA health hazard information cards, Crystalline Silica Exposure, are aimed at helping workers and employers understand more about how they can protect themselves against exposure to silica dust. Two separate cards, available in English and Spanish, provide a quick reference and recommendations for construction and general industries.
"Inhaling crystalline silica dust can be extremely dangerous and sometimes deadly," says OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "This card provides practical information on how to identify, reduce, and prevent exposure to silica dust."
Silica exposure remains a serious threat to nearly two million U.S. workers. The most severe worker exposures can occur during abrasive blasting with sand. Other common exposures to silica dust can occur during the manufacturing of cement and brick; mixing or drilling concrete and mortar; and the manufacturing of china, ceramic and asphalt.
The new pocket-sized cards identify the symptoms of silicosis and the most common causes of occupational exposure. The cards also outline ways to protect against exposure to silica dust, including recommendations for appropriate use of respirators and personal protective equipment.
Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite, and many other materials. It is classified as a human lung carcinogen. Breathing silica dust can cause silicosis, a potentially disabling or fatal disease. Silicosis can also make exposed workers more susceptible to lung infections like tuberculosis.
OSHA's permissible exposure limit (PEL) limits the maximum amount of crystalline silica that a worker can be exposed to during an eight-hour work shift. OSHA also requires hazard communication training for workers exposed to crystalline silica and a respirator protection program.
The Crystalline Silica Exposure cards are free of charge and can also be downloaded from the publications page on OSHA's website.
Silicosis Mortality, Prevention, and Control, , 1968--2002
Silicosis is a preventable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling dust containing crystalline silica (1); no effective treatment for silicosis is available. Deaths from inhalation of silica-containing dust can occur after a few months' exposure (1). Crystalline silica exposure and silicosis have been associated with work in mining, quarrying, tunneling, sandblasting, masonry, foundry work, glass manufacture, ceramic and pottery production, cement and concrete production, and work with certain materials in dental laboratories.
To describe patterns of silicosis mortality in the United States, CDC analyzed data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Occupational Respiratory Mortality System (NORMS) for 1968--2002. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated a decline in silicosis mortality during 1968--2002 and suggested that progress has been made in reducing the incidence of silicosis in the United States. However, silicosis deaths and new cases still occur, even in young workers. Because no effective treatment for silicosis is available, effective control of exposure to crystalline silica in the workplace is crucial.
i-Newswire, 2005-04-30 - NORMS contains national mortality data obtained annually since 1968 from the National Center for Health Statistics ( NCHS ) for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, silicosis, pneumoconiosis, tuberculosis, and other respiratory diseases and conditions ( 2 ). For this report, silicosis deaths were identified during 1968--2002, the most recent years for which complete data were available, and include any death certificates for which an International Classification of Diseases ( ICD ) code* for silicosis was listed as either the underlying or contributing cause of death.
Death rates ( per million persons aged >15 years ) were age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. The age-adjusted mortality rates were mapped by county by using geographic information system software. Codes for usual occupation or industry were available for 1985--1999 from 26 states†. The proportionate mortality ratio ( PMR§ ) for silicosis was calculated by occupation and industry. For this analysis, PMR was adjusted by age, sex, and race, and 95% confidence intervals ( CIs ) were calculated by using Poisson regression analysis.
During 1968--2002, of approximately 74 million death certificates, silicosis was recorded as the underlying or contributing cause of death on 16,305; a total of 15,944 ( 98% ) deaths occurred in males. From 1968 to 2002, the number of silicosis deaths decreased from 1,157 ( 8.91 per million persons aged >15 years ) to 148 ( 0.66 ), corresponding to a 93%
decline in the overall mortality rate. The racial distribution of persons who died from silicosis was approximately 88% ( 14,310 decedents ) white, 12% ( 1,925 ) black, and <1% ( 70 ) other race. Since 1995, on average, 30 deaths per year have been recorded among persons aged 15--64 years.
During 1968--2002, the age-adjusted silicosis mortality rate was elevated in several counties in western states ( Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington ), eastern states ( Georgia, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia ), and central states ( Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin ). San Juan County, Colorado, had the highest age-adjusted mortality rate ( 524 per million persons aged >15 years ). CONTINUES.... http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
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