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Dust entry

Rubber-process dust

Dust released while rubber ingredients are handled, weighed, added, or mixed with uncured natural or synthetic elastomers.

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

occupational cancer concernrespiratory irritationskin irritationoccupational asthma concern

Evidence

HSE reports increased cancer risk in workers at stages of rubber processing that produce rubber dust and fume, and defines rubber-process dust as dust generated while ingredients are handled, weighed, added, or mixed with uncured elastomers.

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Introduction / Rubber process dust · 1
Health studies have shown an increased risk of cancer in workers employed in the stages of rubber processing which produce rubber dust and fume... This is dust from rubber manufacture where ingredients are handled, weighed, added to or mixed with uncured natural or synthetic elastomers.

HSE's rubber-industry FAQ qualifies the historical cancer evidence: it says more recent studies did not find the earlier increased cancer risks in the rubber industry, while identifying historical links between rubber dust or fume and stomach or lung cancers.

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What are the health effects of rubber dust and fume? · 2
There have also been links from rubber dust and fume to stomach and lung cancers in the past. However, more recent studies have shown that increased risks to cancers are no longer present in the rubber industry.

HSE states that rubber-process dust has a workplace exposure limit of 6 mg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average and recommends prevention, enclosure, local exhaust ventilation, and dust-suppressed materials as control measures.

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Workplace Exposure Limits / Selection of control methods · 2
The current WEL for rubber process dust is 6mg/m3 8 hour time weighted average... Consider using dust-suppressed materials, for example pellets, flakes, oil coated powders and polymer bound chemicals.

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