dusts.org
← All dusts

Dust entry

Sugar dust

Airborne sugar particles generated during sugar-beet processing and handling.

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

respiratory irritationeye and upper-airway irritationdust exposure effects

Evidence

NIOSH measured sugar dust during sugar processing and reported personal concentrations of 1.3 to 8.6 mg/M3 against a 10.0 mg/M3 environmental criterion in the evaluated operation; this report does not establish a disease rate for sugar dust.

Source: pdf ↗ · saved source
page 3 · Summary · 4
pulp dust, 0.2 to 0.5 mg/M3 (EC = 5.0 mg/m3); and sugar dust, 1 . 3 to 8 . 6 mg/MJ (EC = 10.0 mg/MJ). Air samples for BCKE and crystalline silica were nondetectable.

The NIOSH Pocket Guide identifies sucrose dust exposure by inhalation and skin or eye contact, lists eye, skin, and upper-respiratory irritation and cough, and warns that fine airborne sugar dust may explode.

Source: html ↗ · saved source
Exposure Routes / Symptoms / Fire and Explosion Hazard · 1
Noncombustible Solid, but fine airborne dust may explode. Exposure Routes: inhalation, skin and/or eye contact. Symptoms: irritation eyes, skin, upper respiratory system; cough.

A NIOSH health-hazard evaluation characterized sugar dust as a nuisance particulate and reported that excessive concentrations may irritate the eyes, nasal passages, skin, and mucous membranes; it measured sugar-dust concentrations of 1.3–8.6 mg/m³ at the evaluated sugar plant.

Source: pdf ↗ · saved source
page 10 · Health Effects of Specific Compounds — Sugar dust · 1
Available toxicity data indicates that sugar dust would be characterized as a "nuisance" particulate ... Excessive concentrations of nuisance dust ... may cause unpleasant deposits in the eyes, ears, and nasal passages; or cause injury to the skin or mucous membranes.

Controls