scholarly journals Characterization of Silica Exposure during Manufacturing of Artificial Stone Countertops

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariella Carrieri ◽  
Carly Guzzardo ◽  
Daniel Farcas ◽  
Lorenzo G. Cena
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Particle Morphology ◽  
Silica Content ◽  
Short Exposure ◽  
Gravimetric Analysis ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Confined Space ◽  
Granite Sample ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Artificial Stone

Artificial stone is increasing in popularity in construction applications, including commercial and residential countertops. Eco-friendliness, durability, and resistance to staining, make artificial stone attractive to consumers. Health concerns have arisen during manufacturing of artificial stone due to increased incidence of silicosis after relatively short exposure. Three artificial stone samples (A, B, and C) and one natural granite sample were subjected to cutting and grinding in a controlled environment. Gravimetric analysis, X-Ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy were employed to determine crystalline silica concentrations and particle morphology of bulk and respirable particles. Silica content of bulk dust from artificial samples A and B was 91%, sample C was <10%, while granite was 31%. Silica percent in the respirable fraction for samples A and B was 53% and 54%, respectively, while sample C was <5% and granite was 8%. Number concentrations for samples A and B were mainly in the nano-fraction, indicating potential for translocation of silica particles to other organs outside of the lungs. Respirable dust concentrations inside the chamber were well above Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards for all materials, indicating that confined-space exposures require ventilation to lower risks of acute silicosis regardless of the nature of the stone.

The Roles of Government in Protecting and Promoting Occupational and Environmental Health

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory R. Wagner ◽  
Emily A. Spieler
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Standards And Regulations ◽  
Regulatory Interventions ◽  
The Government ◽  
The U.S

This chapter discusses the roles of government in promoting occupational and environmental health, with a focus on the U.S. federal government. Governmental interventions, as described here, can range from non-regulatory interventions, such as dissemination of information or generation and communication of information, to establishing regulatory requirements through the promulgation and enforcement of standards and regulations. The chapter describes the U.S. laws and roles of the administrative agencies responsible for occupational and environmental health, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Noting the budgetary and political constraints on these federal agencies, the chapter goes on to discuss briefly the role of the public and the states. The government also plays a role when preventive efforts fail, and the chapter provides a brief summary of programs designed to provide compensation to injured workers.

scholarly journals Thermal Condition and Air Quality Investigation in Commercial Airliner Cabins

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7047
Author(s):  
Nu Yu ◽  
Yao Zhang ◽  
Mengya Zhang ◽  
Haifeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Pressure Change ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Exposure Limit ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Cabin air quality and thermal conditions have a direct impact on passenger and flight crew’s health and comfort. In this study, in-cabin thermal environment and particulate matter (PM) exposures were investigated in four China domestic flights. The mean and standard deviation of the in-cabin carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in two tested flights are 1440 ± 111 ppm. The measured maximum in-cabin carbon monoxide (CO) concentration is 1.2 ppm, which is under the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit of 10 ppm. The tested relative humidity ranges from 13.8% to 67.0% with an average of 31.7%. The cabin pressure change rates at the end of the climbing stages and the beginning of the descending stages are close to 10 hPa·min−1, which might induce the uncomfortable feeling of passengers and crew members. PM mass concentrations were measured on four flights. The results show that PM concentrations decreased after the aircraft cabin door closed and were affected by severe turbulences. The highest in-cabin PM concentrations were observed in the oldest aircraft with an age of 13.2 years, and the waiting phase in this aircraft generated the highest exposures.

Analysis of workplace compliance measurements of asbestos by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (1984–2011)

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 615-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dallas M. Cowan ◽  
Thales J. Cheng ◽  
Matthew Ground ◽  
Jennifer Sahmel ◽  
Allysha Varughese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The U.S

Eula Bingham—Experience Bares “The Real World” and Smart Politics Saves Lives

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-93
Author(s):  
Mary Lee Dunn ◽  
Polly Hoppin ◽  
Beth Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Professional Life ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
The Real ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Look Back ◽  
The Future

Eula Bingham, toxicologist and former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is now at that place in her professional life where she can look back over her long career and identify its turning points and evaluate what worked and what didn't, what was important and what of lesser significance. In two interviews, she also looks at the present and the future and expresses concerns about the way we live now.

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