Many common-or-garden raw materials, such as sand, quartz, rock, etc. contain a mineral which, on the face of it, seems innocent enough but which, upon exposure, may have a silent and devastating impact on human health: silicon.

This insidious substance may cause a serious and avoidable lung disease called silicosis. This article takes a closer look at the steps that can be put in place to prevent this disease.

Silicon: a silent killer

Silicon is the second most common element in the earth’s crust, where it is often encountered in the form of silica (silicon dioxide). It is widely used in industries ranging from construction to electronics. In processing operations such as the cutting, sanding, sawing and polishing of siliceous materials, fine dust particles may be released which contain respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Inhaling this dust may result in serious health problems, such as silicosis (miner’s lung), lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

Research has found that up to 20% of workers in these industries are at risk of developing silicosis as a result of prolonged exposure to even just minimal amounts of silicon.

Between 1991 and 1995, China recorded 24,000 deaths a year as a result of silicosis. The United Kingdom witnesses some COPD-related 4,000 deaths each year, including silicosis, arising from workplace exposure. Doctors consider silicosis to be the second most serious occupational lung disease, coming second only to asbestos.

How to protect your workers?

Thankfully, companies and individual workers alike can put steps in place to prevent exposure to silicon so as to avoid contracting silicosis.

Minimising exposure to respirable crystalline silica begins by adopting safe working practices and the proper use of the right personal protective equipment (PPE).
Here are a couple of measures to ensure silicon is handled safely:

• Avoid dust formation: Use appropriate equipment and techniques, such as wet sawing or drilling, to keep the amount of dust produced down to the bare minimum and install dust extraction systems.
• Ventilation: Make sure your workers get to do their job in properly ventilated spaces or use local extraction to drive down dust concentrations.
• Hygiene: Make sure your workers thoroughly wash their hands and faces after they have been handling siliceous materials, and do not eat and drink at the actual workplace.
• Personal protective equipment: Ensure they wear PPE, such as respiratory masks, safety goggles, safety gloves and protective workwear.

Discover the PPE that protect workers when handling silicon

Conclusion

Silicosis is a stealthy health risk that places a heavy burden on industries that depend on siliceous materials. To ensure the safe handling of silicon, it is crucial that the health risks are diminished.

Putting in place the right health & safety measures and providing appropriate breathing protection will enable workers to protect their health in silicon-dependent industries.