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Dust entry

Particulates not otherwise regulated

Workplace dust from solid substances without a more specific occupational exposure standard or hazard classification in the NIOSH Pocket Guide.

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

eye irritationskin irritationthroat irritationupper-respiratory-system irritation

Evidence

The current CDC/NIOSH summary of the OSHA particulate rule describes otherwise unregulated particulates as physical irritants and identifies upper-respiratory-tract, skin, and eye irritation among the health effects associated with workplace overexposure.

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What to know · 3
The effects associated with overexposure to particulates in the workplace constitute material impairments of health and functional capacity and include upper respiratory tract irritation, skin injury, eye irritation, and other forms of physical irritation.

The current CDC/NIOSH particulate summary states that OSHA retains an 8-hour total-particulate limit of 15 mg/m³ and a respirable-particulate limit of 5 mg/m³ for particulates not otherwise identified in the OSHA tables, while noting that these substances are treated as physical irritants when substance-specific toxicological data are unavailable.

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What to know · 2
OSHA is retaining its 15-mg/m³ total particulate PEL ... and its 5-mg/m³ respirable particulate limit for these substances. ... this group of physical irritants consists of substances ... for which substance-specific toxicologic data are not available.

Controls