Is It Bad To Inhale Granite Dust

Despite its many benefits to the construction industry it comes with a number of health risks.

Is it bad to inhale granite dust.

You can work with silica containing materials in ways that do not result in exposure to dust. When doctors examine the lungs of a miner after death they find no more than 40 g of dust. These silica dust particles can cause scarring in the lungs leading to a serious and irreversible lung condition known as silicosis. Crystalline silica has been classified as a human lung carcinogen.

When we talk about silica dust we are referring to crystalline silica. The good news is that silicosis is 100 preventable. Symptoms include a chronic cough and shortness of breath. Stone dust is a by product of crushed rocks.

Such a relatively small residue illustrates the importance of the lungs defenses and certainly suggests that they are quite effective. As a multipurpose building material it provides compact results. For example during a lifetime a coal miner may inhale 1 000 g of dust into his lungs. Inhaling marble dust causes toxic effects on the respiratory system.

Dust pneumonia is an acute type of respiratory distress that can develop into an infection of the lungs. Typically it is brought on by excessive exposure to dust and dirt inhalation. Silica dust is the creation of fine particles of a type of silica known as crystalline silica which can be found in stone rocks sand and clay. When these materials are disturbed they release a dust that is dangerous to inhale.

When you inhale the dust silica particles scar your lungs causing a disabling irreversible and incurable lung disease called silicosis. Rutland herald granite dust may 28 2000 by john dillon staff writer the federal government has concluded that the tiny crystalline rock particles found in granite dust can cause lung cancer a finding that may lead to stricter regulation of vermont s stone industry. Workers and residents living in areas adjacent to stone quarries are prone to a disease called silicosis whereby inhaled marble dust damages the cells of the respiratory system. When materials such as concrete stone brick or granite are cut or ground by workers it can create extremely fine dust particles which can make their way deep into the lungs if inhaled.