Danger Dust

While historically most RCS exposures arising from processing common quartz-containing materials such as granite slabs or concrete have proved controllable with adequate application of water and/or local exhaust ventilation or use of appropriate RP, the results of this study demonstrate that RCS remains widely uncontrolled at shops of different sizes and sophistication where ES is fabricated.

For example, the emergence of additional research into the release of nanoparticles during fabrication, interactions with resins and other volatile chemicals released during the fabrication process, and the presence of other elements used as fillers and colorants highlight the importance of exercising the precautionary principle until more is understood about the confluence of these unknown factors.

Our results demonstrate that existing engineering controls provided at the investigated shops are insufficient to protect workers from RCS exposure, and all employees performing similar tasks at comparable shops should wear RP by following applicable OSHA standards until—or unless—sufficient exposure controls—either through slab composition modification or traditional engineered dust collection or suppression techniques—are improved, implemented, and documented with repeatable success.