U.S. to set limits on silica exposure first recommended half a century ago
Most people know silica as the mysterious contents of desiccation packets found in vitamin bottles, high-end leather purses, clothing, and other items. But for miners and other stone cutters, silica is a serious health hazard, and new rules announced on Tuesday by a U.S. government agency set strict limits on how much of the mineral they can be exposed to.
The rules, announced by the U.S. Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, limit permissible exposure to crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for a full eight-hour shift. The action level, or the amount warranting remedial action, is 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The lower or action level is the one at which monitoring of worker exposure is initiated and employers are expected to control further exposure; the higher level is the maximum exposure permitted and the level above which people would have to stop working.
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