Abstract:
Airborne respirable crystalline silica (RCS) has been a widely recognized hazard in the United States for nearly 100 years, yet it continues to pose a risk to construction tradespersons, among others. RCS exposures vary widely depending on site conditions and tools and materials used. The proper use of engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls can effectively reduce exposure to RCS. Historically, others have reviewed available RCS exposure data among construction trades and reported that there were considerable data gaps and variability that needed to be addressed. This current assessment aimed to synthesize available peer-reviewed exposure studies to determine potential RCS exposures during the use of common construction materials and evaluate to what extent data gaps and variability persist. Twenty-eight studies were identified that reported RCS exposure during construction tasks. After conversion to the unit of µg/m3, reported measurements from samples collected for varying durations ranged from 6.0 to 75,500 µg/m3 for work with concrete, 80 to 4,240 µg/m3 for work with brick, <59 to 10,900 µg/m3 for work with mortar, 90 to 44,370 µg/m3 for work with engineered stone, and 70 to 380 µg/m3 for work with roof tile. To better facilitate pooling data across studies, future researchers should report their sample duration, clarify how time-weighted average (TWA) exposure data are calculated, report the silica content of the material being manipulated, and specify whether samples were collected while the task was performed in isolation or on a worksite where other silica-containing materials were also actively handled. When reporting results as respirable quartz, it is important to note whether any other polymorphic forms of silica were detected. It is ultimately the employer\'s responsibility to train employees and monitor and control RCS exposures on construction worksites. To do this effectively, it is important to have a clear understanding of the tasks, materials, and site conditions where intervention is most urgently needed.
摘要:
空气可吸入结晶二氧化硅(RCS)在美国已被广泛认可近100年的危害,然而,它仍然对建筑商人构成风险,在其他人中。RCS暴露量因现场条件和使用的工具和材料而异。正确使用工程,行政,和个人防护设备(PPE)控制可以有效减少RCS的暴露。历史上,其他人已经审查了建筑行业中可用的RCS暴露数据,并报告有相当大的数据差距和可变性需要解决。此当前评估旨在综合可用的同行评审暴露研究,以确定在使用常见建筑材料期间潜在的RCS暴露,并评估数据差距和变异性持续到什么程度。确定了28项研究,这些研究报告了施工任务期间的RCS暴露。转换为µg/m3的单位后,报告的不同持续时间收集的样品的测量值范围为6.0至75,500µg/m3,用于使用混凝土。80至4,240µg/m3的砖工作,<59至10,900µg/m3的砂浆工作,90至44,370µg/m3,用于使用工程石材,和70至380µg/m3的屋顶瓦工作。为了更好地促进跨研究汇集数据,未来的研究人员应该报告他们的样本持续时间,阐明如何计算时间加权平均(TWA)暴露数据,报告被操纵材料的二氧化硅含量,并指定是否在单独执行任务时或在也积极处理其他含二氧化硅材料的工作地点收集样品。当报告结果为可吸入石英时,重要的是要注意是否检测到任何其他多晶型形式的二氧化硅。最终,雇主有责任培训员工并监视和控制建筑工地的RCS暴露。为了有效地做到这一点,重要的是要清楚地了解任务,材料,以及最迫切需要干预的现场条件。