SILICA

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Colorado School of Mines
 Silica – SiO2
• Crystalline Silica
– Quartz
– Tridymite
– Cristobalite
• Amorphous Silica

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 Silica Content of Minerals

• Limestone 1 - 20 %
• Granite 20 - 70 %
• Sandstone 50 - 100 %
• Shale 5 - 20 %
• Slate 15 - 40 %
• Coal 0 - 10 %

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 Surface Silica ProblemAreas
• M/NM
– Drills
– Crushers
– Bagging
– Ground Silica
• Coal
– Drills
– Mobile equipment (dozers, loaders
& trucks)

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 Underground Silica Problem Areas
• M/NM
– Drills
• Coal
– Drills
– Continuous miners
– Longwalls
– Conveyors

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 Health Effects - Silica
• Silicosis
– Miner’s asthma, grinder’s consumption, miner’s
phthisis, potter’s rot, stonemason’s disease
– Caused by inhalation of free silica particulates
– Action: Toxic effect on macrophage cells
– Acute, Accelerated and Chronic Disease
• Acute disease may occur after short periods of exposure (few
months) to very high levels of silica. Death occurs quickly.
• Accelerated disease results from high exposures and develops 5
to 10 years after initial exposure.
• Chronic disease occurs gradually with low exposures over
longer periods of time (10 or more years)

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 Silicosis: Symptoms
• Early stages
– No apparent symptoms
– May not show on an x-ray
• Progressive stages:
– Shortness of breath
– Fever
– Bluish lips/ear lobes
– Susceptible to infection
(TB)
– Fatigue
– Extreme shortness of breath
– Loss of appetite
– Pain in the chest cavity
– Increased risk for heart
disease

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 Severity of Disease
• Dust concentration
• Percent of free
silica
• Duration of
exposure
• Size of particles
• Smoking Healthy Lung with
Lung Silicosis

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 Silicosis: Number of Deaths, Crude and
Age-Adjusted Mortality Rates (1968-1996)

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Silicosis: Crude Mortality Rates by
State (1987-1996)

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Silicosis: Number of Deaths by State
(1987-1996)
State Number of Deaths
Pennsylvania 490
Ohio 262
Colorado 102
West Virginia 66
New Mexico 38
Utah 38
Idaho 25
Montana 23
Vermont 22

States with rates > 10 deaths/million

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Silicosis: Number of Deaths by
Age (1987-1996)
1200

1000
Number of Deaths

800

600

400

200

0
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Age (Years)
Total Number of Deaths = 2,787

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Silicosis: Most Frequently Recorded
Occupations (1987-1996)
Occupation Number Percent
Mining Machine Operators 155 14.7
Laborers, not construction 117 11.1
Managers/Administrators 39 3.7
Supervisors 36 3.4
Janitors/Cleaners 33 3.1
Molding/Casting Operators 30 2.8
Construction Laborers 29 2.8
Crushing/Grinding Operators 27 2.6
Farmers 25 2.4
All other occupation 513 48.7
Occupation not reported 25 2.4

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Number of MSHA and OSHA Inspector Silica
Samples and Percent Exceeding PEL
(1974-1996)

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Colorado School of Mines
Number of MSHA and OSHA Inspector Silica
Samples and Average Severity Levels
(1974-1996)

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Western Mining Resource Center
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 Silicosis is Preventable

• Instrumentation is available to measure it.

• Technology to control exposures is available.
• Some control methods are relatively inexpensive
and simple.
• Lots of information available for training.

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Colorado School of Mines