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On 2 December, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published a consultative document seeking comments on a proposal for a new Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) for respirable crystalline silica.
HSC’s proposal recommends a reduction from the current WEL of 0.3 mg/m3 for respirable crystalline silica to a new WEL of 0.1 mg/m3 (measured as an 8-hour time weighted average). If the proposal were to be agreed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would bring the new WEL into force in 2006.
At the European level, the Scientific Committee for Occupational Exposure (SCOEL) proposed an exposure limit of 0.05 mg/m3. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) demands the setting up of an exposure limit. Employer lobbies are trying to block it.
Crystalline silica is a naturally occurring mineral found in almost all types of rock, sands, clays etc, and in building materials made from these materials such as bricks, tiles and concrete. The estimates that at least 100,000 British workers are exposed to dust containing respirable crystalline silica on a regular basis in a diverse range of industries including mining, quarrying, brick/tile and ceramic manufacture, construction, foundries and stone-masonry.
Long-term exposure to dusts containing respirable crystalline silica can lead to the development of silicosis, a slowly developing irreversible lung disease. Heavy and prolonged exposures under conditions that are sufficient to cause silicosis can also lead to an increased risk of lung cancer.
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