SILICA DUST

HOW FUGITIVE DUST CAN

HARM YOU

Americus Area Community Coalition

INFORMATION FROM NJ OSHA•SILICA IS THE MOST COMMON ELEMENT FOUND IN THE EARTH'S CRUST

•OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO SILICA OCCURS IN MANY INDUSTRIES.

•#1 MINING AND QUARRYING

EFFECTS OF INHALING SILICA DUST

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INFORMATION FROM N J OSHA•SILICOSIS IS NORMALLY NOT APPARENT

UNTIL 20 YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE FIRST EXPOSURE TO SILICA HAS OCCURRED.

•AFTER EXPOSURE TO HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF SILICA DUST, THE DEVELOPMENT OF SILICOSIS MAY OCCUR BEFORE 20 YEARS.

INFORMATION FROM N J OSHA•THE RATE AT WHICH SILICOSIS PROGRESSES IS RELATED TO THE LENGTH AND LEVEL OF EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST.

•IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST.

INFORMATION FROM N J OSHA•THERE IS NO KNOWN MEDICAL TREATMENT TO REVERSE SILICOSIS.

•VICTIMS OF SILICOSIS ARE KNOWN TO BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO TUBERCULOSIS.

U.S. INFORMATION•I WAS APPALLED AT THE LACK OF

CURRENT INFORMATION THAT PRESENTS FACTUAL NUMBERS FOR AMERICA.

•2002 STUDY: “RECONCILING AMBIENT FUGITIVE DUST CONCENTRATIONS WITH EMISSION INVENTORIES: A CASE STUDY” (SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CALIFORNIA)

SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA•FUGITIVE DUST AMOUNTS FOR TO 78.5% OF THE TOTAL PRIMARY EMISSIONS IN AN AREA.

•IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DO NOT WANT TO LIVE ON THE NORTH OR EAST SIDE OF A QUARRY.

SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA• TRANSPORTABILITY FACTORS FOR 6 TYPES OF

COVER

1.) .97 FOR BARREN SURFACES OR WATER

2.) .85 FOR AGRICULTURAL

3.) .70 FOR GRASS

4.) .40 URBAN

5.) .30 SCRUBS

6.) .05 FOREST

SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA•APPROXIMATELY 86% OF THE FUGITIVE DUST WAS DUE TO:

1.) PAVED ROAD DUST

2.) UNPAVED ROAD DUST

3.) TILLING AND HARVESTING OPERATIONS

4.) CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION.

SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA•FUGITIVE DUST CONCENTRATIONS WERE CALCULATED FROM X-RAY FLORESCENCE MEASUREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS. THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION WAS SILICA AT 24% OF THE TOTAL.

CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005

• “THE GREATEST DEATH TOLL FROM SILICOSIS IN THE UNITED STATES OCCURRED WITH EXCAVATION OF HAWK'S NEST TUNNEL, CRITICAL TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HYDROELECTRIC PLANT IN WEST VIRGINIA DURING 1930 -1931. APPROXIMATELY 5,000 WORKERS BORED THROUGH GAULEY MOUNTAIN TO CREATE THE TUNNEL; AN ESTIMATED 2500 WORKED INSIDE.

CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005

•A SUBSEQUENT STUDY DETERMINED THAT SILICOSIS CLAIMED THE LIVES OF AT LEAST 764 WORKERS AT HAWK'S NEST TUNNEL. BY THE END OF 1937, A TOTAL OF 46 STATES HAD PASSED LAWS RELEVANT TO WORKERS WITH SILICOSIS.”

CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005

•IN 2002, 148 PEOPLE DIED OF SILICOSIS.

•FOR THE PERIOD 1985-1999, OCCUPATIONAL DEATHS FROM SILICOSIS WERE SORTED BY INDUSTRY AND OCCUPATION FOR TOTAL DEATHS AND PROPORTIONATE MORTALITY RATIOS. HERE IS THE DATA:

CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005

U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM•ALL DUST IS HARMFUL, BUT SILICA DUST HAS

THE GREATEST EFFECT IN THE QUARRY INDUSTRY.

• IN THE U K, 5 FATAL INJURIES OCCURRED IN THE QUARRY INDUSTRY FROM 2009-2011

•DURING THAT SAME PERIOD, 47 DEATHS DUE TO SILICOSIS OCCURRED OVER ALL SECTORS OF EMPLOYMENT.

U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM•OF THE 47 DEATHS, 15, OR ABOUT 1/3. WERE

ASSOCIATED WITH THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRIES.

•ALSO OVER THE SAME TIME SPAN 190 NEW CASES OF SILICOSIS WERE REPORTED . IT IS LIKELY THIS NUMBER IS UNDER REPORTED.

U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM•HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM

SILICA:

•PUT A BARRIER BETWEEN YOU AND THE DUST

•KEEP DOORS AND WINDOWS CLOSED

•REMOVE ANY SILICA DUST FROM ALL AREAS

U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM•PROTECTING YOURSELF (CONT.):

• CHANGE AIR FILTERS REGULARLY

•KEEP STOCK PILES, ROADWAYS, TIPPING AND TRANSFER POINTS WATERED AND DAMP.

•ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER ANY EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST.

NOT HERE.

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