AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica during Stone Countertop Grinding/Polishing using Handheld Tools
CHAOLONG QI, Alan Echt, NIOSH
Abstract Number: 718 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Stone countertops became increasingly popular among consumers in recent years. Unfortunately, a large amount of dust that contains crystalline silica can be produced during stone countertop fabrication and installation. Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is one of the best-documented workplace hazards, with a large body of research strongly demonstrating that chronic overexposures cause silicosis and increase the risk of lung cancer. Grinding and polishing stone countertop using handheld tools were found to be tasks with the highest exposure to RCS in a Health Hazard Evaluation conducted by NIOSH, and the exposure levels exceeded the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) even under wet operations. In this study, we conducted a series of field surveys and characterized workers’ exposure to RCS during stone countertop grinding and polishing with different wetting method (water-spray-wetting and center-feed-wetting) and local exhaust ventilation. The field survey results will be used to set up a target for additional engineering control requirements for reducing the exposure levels below the NIOSH REL.