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Dust entry

Kaolin dust

Airborne particulate from kaolin or china-clay handling and processing.

Airborne form

dust

The form describes what is suspended in air at the point of exposure. A material can produce more than one form, such as dust during handling and fume during heating.

Health effects

chronic pulmonary fibrosisstomach granuloma

Evidence

NIOSH lists inhalation, skin, and eye contact routes for kaolin and reports chronic pulmonary fibrosis and stomach granuloma; target organs are the respiratory system and stomach.

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Symptoms and target organs · 1
Exposure Routes: inhalation, skin and/or eye contact. Symptoms: Chronic pulmonary fibrosis, stomach granuloma. Target Organs: respiratory system, stomach.

The current NIOSH Pocket Guide gives kaolin a total-dust REL of 10 mg/m³ and respirable-dust REL of 5 mg/m³, and reports chronic pulmonary fibrosis and stomach granuloma as symptoms or effects.

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Exposure Limits; Symptoms · 1
NIOSH REL TWA 10 mg/m³ (total) TWA 5 mg/m³ (resp). Exposure Routes inhalation, skin and/or eye contact. Symptoms Chronic pulmonary fibrosis, stomach granuloma.

Current NIOSH clinical guidance identifies kaolin among mineral dusts that can cause pneumoconiosis and explains that pneumoconioses are lung diseases caused by the lung’s reaction to inhaled dusts.

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Overview · 3
There is also a form called mixed-dust pneumoconiosis. ... Other forms of pneumoconiosis can be caused by inhaling dusts containing: Aluminum; Antimony; Barium; Graphite; Iron; Kaolin; Mica; Talc.

The NIOSH/OSHA PEL Project page reports that excess kaolin dust may injure skin or mucous membranes and has been associated with respiratory effects; it gives separate total and respirable particulate exposure limits.

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Health effects and exposure limits · 2
Exposure to excess amounts of kaolin dust may cause injury to the skin or mucous membranes. Although NIOSH has not conducted an in-depth review of kaolin dust exposure, it notes that exposure to kaolin dust has been associated with respiratory effects. OSHA establishes PELs of 10 mg/m3 total particulate and 5 mg/m3 respirable particulate as 8-hour TWA limits for kaolin.

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