Wearing PPE is miserable. The respiratory masks that reliably keep silica out of your lungs are painful. My job involves working with silica powders and I can really only handle about 20-30 minutes decked out in my bunny suit, respirator, over eye goggles, gloves and disposable sleeves before I need to take a break for air. This is in a climate controlled environment with a minimally physical set of tasks.
Having workers wear PPE is the worst, last resort form of protection. Solutions like switching to safer materials and improving ventilation work much better in practice.
PPE is the last resort when other mitigation measures are inadequate, but positive-pressure respirators (either powered air-purifying or supplied-air) are really very comfortable. No face seal is required and you've got a constant flow of cool air. Spray painters, asbestos workers, media blasters and many welders will wear one for the majority of their working hours.
Engineered stone is undoubtedly more hazardous than natural stone, but (as the researchers quoted in this article suggest) there is no safe level of exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The problem of silicosis long pre-dates the advent of engineered stone and will remain even if the product is banned. If I were working with stone - engineered or natural - I'd want a respirator unless I was absolutely confident in the mitigation measures in place.
Pneumoconiosis, aka black lung is something different.
> Coal — There is a prevalent opinion that coal miners do not suffer from silicosis or tuberculosis. But coal mining may produce silicosis when the associated rock has a sufficiently high silica content [0]
> Analyses of speciments of rock drilled from various sites on Manhattan Island showed
that the free silica content ranged from zero to 84 per cent. In
the case of dry jackhammer drilling, 50 per cent of the silica
particles were less than three to four microns in size, while with
the water Leyner (wet) drill, 50 per cent of the particles were less
than 1-8 microns in diameter.
Of the 208 drillers, blasters and excavators examined, 42 per cent
showed early, and 15 per cent well-developed silicosis. Evidence
of tuberculosis, including both active and inactive cases, was
present in nine per cent of the total number.
I believe miners of many types began suffering from silicosis when powered jackhammer drills were first introduced. It wasn't until people started dying that water began being piped to to the tip of the drill.
This document is old, but very interesting. Many of the questions being asked in this thread can be answered here. The various industries where silicosis can occur are outlined beginning on page 47.
> Wearing PPE is miserable. The respiratory masks that reliably keep silica out of your lungs are painful.
I completely disagree. Is it less comfortable than not wearing a mask? For sure. Do I consider it a burden to wear a P100 respirator when dealing with silica? Nope.
How many hours a day do you typically spend wearing your respirator?
Have you had a professional fit test to see whether your respirator is making an adequate seal? Many folks wear these things far too loosely to pass a basic fitment test.
How many hours a day do you spend moving objects that weight >20lbs while wearing your respirator?
How often do you work on days >30C while decked out in your respirator?
Do you keep your face shaved baby smooth at all times?
Off-topic, but why is there a brand new saxman0001 account replying to a saxman001 (member since 2021) thread?
Also nthing what other people said about just using a full face respirator if you don't like smaller variety. I don't like respirators as such but they do the job.
It has large outter seals which are great if you wear glasses and it's extremely light. The inner seal is also pretty thick and I have shortish facial hair that doesn't impact the seal at all.
>How many hours a day do you spend moving objects that weight >20lbs while wearing your respirator?
You wouldn't get wearing it while carrying etc. It's while cutting.
Don't get me a lot of establishments are probably not set up for proper dust control (eg cutting in a dust extraction room) but that's still not a reason to ban the product.
This was incredibly political. Our media outlets scared the crap out of everyone with a good month long campaign on it, so it became entirely political.
My dude, wearing PPE sucks. I've been there, in a hot, humid, subtropical, sunny climate, full respirator, mask and overalls. Endless in and out to hydrate and get frsh air.
But the fact is, sufficient dust, of any material is dangerous. I have a friend who was hospitalized with a literal hole in his lung. Partially collapsed lung. He's under 35.
Hard work is hard, it's often uncomfortable, let's not pretend magic bullets are here. If anything they are, PPE is miraculous in what it protects against.
Having workers wear PPE is the worst, last resort form of protection. Solutions like switching to safer materials and improving ventilation work much better in practice.