Exposure to Respirable Particulates and Silica in and around the Stone Crushing Units in Central India

Abstract

Stone crushing unit workers suffer from particulate matters and respirable silica at work and in their residents nearby. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the area and personal exposure concentration of respirable particulate matters and silica in workplaces and in surrounding villages. PM 10 , PM 4 and PM 2.5 were considered for unit area measurement and PM 4 and PM 2.5 were considered for personal exposure measurements. The ambient PM 10 and indoor respirable particulate sampling and analyses were carried out in two neighboring villages adjacent to a cluster of 100 stone crushing units in central India. The study was conducted in two years with varied seasons to provide baseline data on the existing particulate concentration with and without control intervention. Monitoring and analytical criteria were fulfilled according to the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (NIOSH), USA protocol. The study reports the higher particulates and respirable silica with respect to the national and international guidelines in and around the study units. However, in nearby villages, the particulate concentrations and silica were comparatively less. An innovative dust abatement dry engineering control system was installed as a pilot work to reduce dust emission from the unit and the results afterward were found to be encouraging.

Evaluation of workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica in road construction industries in Alberta

“…The results for RCS exposure values among crusher operators (78 μg/m 3 ) in this study are lower than the study by Amran et al (2017) , who found that in crusher operators in Malaysian quarries, the RCS exposure values were 91 μg/m 3 . However, Mukhopadhyay et al (2011) reported alarmingly high exposure levels to RCS among helper, loader, and feeder workers in the stone crushing facility in India, who found the values to be between 4510 μg/m 3 and 8140 μg/m 3 , respectively. A study by Kuo et al (2018) in Taiwan foundry workers in the sandblasting process identified the highest levels of both respirable dusts (520 μg/m 3 ) and RCS (27 μg/m 3 ).…”

Silica Exposures in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining in Tanzania and Implications for Tuberculosis Prevention

“…(32) Similar results for airborne respirable quartz were obtained in areas of a stone crushing mill in a pilot project in India after the installation of a dust collection system. (33) Dry dust collection systems if adequately designed may be feasible where mining cooperatives have been formed or where centralized ore processing can be organized by the miners.…”

Respiratory Health and Urinary Trace Metals among Artisanal Stone-Crushers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Lubumbashi, DR Congo

“…Several studies have documented high to very high levels of mineral dust in worksites-and also the surrounding environment-where stones or rocks are crushed or milled using various types of mechanical crushers to produce aggregates for use in the construction of roads and buildings [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In these publications, the main emphasis was on the health risks associated with high exposures to free crystalline silica, i.e., mainly quartz, the content of which depends on the nature of the materials that are being crushed.…”