How does silica dust affect your health? How does a stone quarry operation affect silica dust levels? The Americus Area Community Coalition educates local residents on the potential impact of the proposed Rogers Group stone quarry in Americus, Indiana.

2. INFORMATION FROM NJ OSHA
•SILICA IS THE MOST COMMON ELEMENT
FOUND IN THE EARTH'S CRUST
•OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO SILICA
OCCURS IN MANY INDUSTRIES.
•#1 MINING AND QUARRYING

3. EFFECTS OF INHALING SILICA DUST
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4. INFORMATION FROM N J OSHA
•SILICOSIS IS NORMALLY NOT APPARENT UNTIL
20 YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE FIRST
EXPOSURE TO SILICA HAS OCCURRED.
•AFTER EXPOSURE TO HEAVY
CONCENTRATIONS OF SILICA
DUST, THE DEVELOPMENT OF
SILICOSIS MAY OCCUR
BEFORE 20 YEARS.

5. INFORMATION FROM N J OSHA
•THE RATE AT WHICH SILICOSIS PROGRESSES
IS RELATED TO THE LENGTH AND LEVEL OF
EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST.
•IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE
EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST.

6. INFORMATION FROM N J OSHA
•THERE IS NO KNOWN MEDICAL
TREATMENT TO REVERSE SILICOSIS.
•VICTIMS OF SILICOSIS ARE KNOWN TO BE
SUSCEPTIBLE TO TUBERCULOSIS.

7. U.S. INFORMATION
•I WAS APPALLED AT THE LACK OF CURRENT
INFORMATION THAT PRESENTS FACTUAL
NUMBERS FOR AMERICA.
•2002 STUDY: “RECONCILING AMBIENT
FUGITIVE DUST CONCENTRATIONS WITH
EMISSION INVENTORIES: A CASE STUDY” (SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY CALIFORNIA)

8. SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA
•FUGITIVE DUST AMOUNTS FOR TO 78.5%
OF THE TOTAL PRIMARY EMISSIONS IN AN
AREA.
•IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DO NOT WANT TO
LIVE ON THE NORTH OR EAST SIDE OF A
QUARRY.

9. SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA
•TRANSPORTABILITY FACTORS FOR 6 TYPES OF COVER
1.) .97 FOR BARREN SURFACES OR WATER
2.) .85 FOR AGRICULTURAL
3.) .70 FOR GRASS
4.) .40 URBAN
5.) .30 SCRUBS
6.) .05 FOREST

10. SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA
•APPROXIMATELY 86% OF THE FUGITIVE DUST
WAS DUE TO:
1.) PAVED ROAD DUST
2.) UNPAVED ROAD DUST
3.) TILLING AND HARVESTING OPERATIONS
4.) CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION.

11. SAN JOAQUIN CALIFORNIA
•FUGITIVE DUST CONCENTRATIONS WERE
CALCULATED FROM X-RAY FLORESCENCE
MEASUREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS.
THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION WAS SILICA AT
24% OF THE TOTAL.

12. CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005
•“THE GREATEST DEATH TOLL FROM SILICOSIS IN THE
UNITED STATES OCCURRED WITH EXCAVATION OF
HAWK'S NEST TUNNEL, CRITICAL TO THE
CONSTRUCTION OF A HYDROELECTRIC PLANT IN WEST
VIRGINIA DURING 1930 -1931.
APPROXIMATELY 5,000 WORKERS
BORED THROUGH GAULEY
MOUNTAIN TO CREATE THE
TUNNEL; AN ESTIMATED 2500
WORKED INSIDE.

13. CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005
•A SUBSEQUENT STUDY DETERMINED THAT SILICOSIS
CLAIMED THE LIVES OF AT LEAST 764 WORKERS AT
HAWK'S NEST TUNNEL. BY THE END OF 1937, A TOTAL
OF 46 STATES HAD PASSED LAWS RELEVANT TO
WORKERS WITH SILICOSIS.”

14. CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005
•IN 2002, 148 PEOPLE DIED OF SILICOSIS.
•FOR THE PERIOD 1985-1999, OCCUPATIONAL
DEATHS FROM SILICOSIS WERE SORTED BY
INDUSTRY AND OCCUPATION FOR TOTAL
DEATHS AND PROPORTIONATE MORTALITY
RATIOS. HERE IS THE DATA:

15. CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION APRIL 29,2005

16. U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM
•ALL DUST IS HARMFUL, BUT SILICA DUST HAS THE
GREATEST EFFECT IN THE QUARRY INDUSTRY.
•IN THE U K, 5 FATAL INJURIES OCCURRED IN THE
QUARRY INDUSTRY FROM 2009-2011
•DURING THAT SAME PERIOD, 47 DEATHS DUE TO
SILICOSIS OCCURRED OVER ALL SECTORS OF
EMPLOYMENT.

17. U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM
•OF THE 47 DEATHS, 15, OR ABOUT 1/3. WERE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE MINING AND QUARRY
INDUSTRIES.
•ALSO OVER THE SAME TIME SPAN 190 NEW CASES OF
SILICOSIS WERE REPORTED . IT IS LIKELY THIS NUMBER
IS UNDER REPORTED.

18. U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM
•HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SILICA:
•PUT A BARRIER BETWEEN YOU AND THE DUST
•KEEP DOORS AND WINDOWS CLOSED
•REMOVE ANY SILICA DUST FROM ALL AREAS

19. U K QUARRIES PARTNERSHIP TEAM
•PROTECTING YOURSELF (CONT.):
• CHANGE AIR FILTERS REGULARLY
•KEEP STOCK PILES, ROADWAYS, TIPPING AND
TRANSFER POINTS WATERED AND DAMP.
•ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER ANY
EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST.

20. NOT HERE.
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