Items Tagged with 'Silicosis'

Silicosis is a disabling, deadly and incurable lung disease. It often is caused by breathing in the dust of crystalline silica, which can be found in concrete, sandstone, rock, paint and other abrasives, according to NIOSH. Although crystalline silica dust may seem harmless (sometimes it is too small to even see), it is not.

Washington – OSHA’s current rule on silica is based on obsolete analytical data, and exposure at the current permissible exposure limit results in “significant risks of death” from cancer and other diseases, the agency said during a Jan. 14 webchat that discussed proposed updates to the rule.

OSHA has proposed an update of its decades-old standards on silica exposure. Read what the proposed requirements are, and what some stakeholders are saying about it.