Silica is the second most common occuring element in the earth's curst and is found in many materials on demolition sites. Workers are exposed to harmful amounts of silica dust in a variety of ways, such as:
-Sawing, hammering, drilling, grinding, and chipping of rock, concrete, floor tile, thin-set
-Abrasive blasting
-Plaster Demolition
-Jackhammering operations
-Concrete/Asphalt Crushing
-Building Demolitions
-Dry sweeping or pressurized air blowing
Workers who inhale this dust are at risk. When silica dust is inhaled, the lungs react by developing scars, or fibrois, around trapped silica particles, making breathing very difficult and inhibiting oxygen from entering the bloodstream. Silica dust exposure can cause serious sometimes fat illnesses, including a lung disease called silicosis, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has also been linked to other illnesses such as kidney disease. Workers can be in danger e...
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