NIOSH Hazard Review:

Health Effects
Of Occupational Exposure
To Respirable Crystalline Silica

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has published an updated hazard review of the health effects from occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The NIOSH hazard review emphasizes the dangers of silica exposures and the need for controls.

According to the NIOSH hazard review, Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Respirable Silica, recent studies demonstrate that workers have a significant risk of developing chronic silicosis when they are exposed to respirable crystalline silica over a working lifetime at the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL), or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended exposure limit (REL).

NIOSH recommends minimizing the risk of illness for workers exposed by substituting less hazardous materials for crystalline silica when feasible, and by using appropriate respiratory protection when source controls cannot keep exposures below the NIOSH REL.