Respirable particles of crystalline silica, including quartz and cristobalite, generated when silica-containing materials are cut, ground, drilled, or crushed.
Evidence
HSE's construction-dust information sheet identifies silica dust from concrete, mortar, and sandstone as respirable crystalline silica and lists lung cancer, silicosis, COPD, and asthma as the main dust-related diseases affecting construction workers.
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page 1 · Construction dust / Health risks · 1silica dust – created when working on silica-containing materials like concrete, mortar and sandstone (also known as respirable crystalline silica or RCS) ... The main dust-related diseases affecting construction workers are: lung cancer; silicosis; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); asthma.
OSHA construction rules define an action level of 25 µg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average and a permissible exposure limit of 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.1153 — Respirable crystalline silica ↗Fine crystalline silica exposure is associated with silicosis, lung cancer, COPD, and activation of latent tuberculosis infections.
Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.1153 — Respirable crystalline silica ↗NIOSH states that respirable crystalline silica dust can be generated by cutting, grinding, polishing, and drilling silica-containing materials; inhalation can cause irreversible silicosis and is also associated with lung cancer, COPD, autoimmune disease, and chronic renal failure.
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Overview · 1Work activities such as cutting, grinding, polishing, and drilling can generate dust from materials with RCS ... Silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling excessive amounts of respirable crystalline silica. It is not reversible ... Excessive exposure to RCS can also cause other serious diseases, including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), certain autoimmune diseases, and chronic renal failure.
Current CDC/NIOSH guidance states that breathing crystalline-silica dust can cause inflammation and scarring of the lungs; excessive respirable exposure can cause silicosis and is associated with lung cancer, COPD, autoimmune disease, chronic renal failure, and increased tuberculosis risk.
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What to know · 1Breathing dust from crystalline silica can lead to lung disease. Silica causes inflammation and scarring in the lungs. Excessive exposure to respirable crystalline silica can lead to permanent lung damage called silicosis ... [and] lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), certain autoimmune diseases, and chronic renal failure.