Silicosis and Crystalline Silica Exposure: Resources & Materials

Background Materials

• Mine Safety and Health Administration

  The Mine Safety and Health Administration is a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor tasked with administering the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. It regulates compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents, to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents, to minimize health hazards, and to promote improved safety and health conditions in the nation's mines. It carries out the mandates of the Mine Safety and Health Act at all mining and mineral processing operations in the United States, regardless of size, number of employees, commodity mined, or method of extraction.

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a comprehensive source of information on occupational health containing resources, data, tables, and graphs concerning silicosis facts, regulations, and statistics.

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • Crystalline Silica Topic Page provides guidance for employers and workers regarding crystalline silica exposures and hazards in the workplace across a variety of industries.
  • Fact Sheet: Crystalline Silica Exposure Health Hazard Information identifies some of the health hazards of crystalline silica dust exposure in the workplace.
• American Lung Association

  The American Lung Association is an organization working to save lives through improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy, and research. The silicosis webpage is a source provides a general overview as well as background information on a variety of occupational lung diseases, including silicosis.

Health Care Provider Resources

• Silicosis and Silica Exposure: What Physicians Need to Know

  A fact sheet intended to increase provider awareness concerning occupational silicosis and crystalline silica exposure. This fact sheet includes clinical information, prevention recommendations, and consultation options to help providers attend to and serve the healthcare needs of their patients.

• Occupational Health Clinic Network

  The New York State Occupational Health Clinic Network is the nation's only state-based occupational health clinic network and contains clinics located across the State. The network offers specialized medical diagnoses as well as high-quality care and support services to workers. The Network assists New York workers by helping to prevent illness and injury and by helping ill/injured workers to return to work quickly.

• Occupational Lung Disease Registry

  Silicosis is a reportable occupational lung disease and therefore physicians are required to report silicosis cases to the New York State Department of Health within 10 days of diagnosis. This site contains information regarding the registry as well as directions on how to report silicosis cases.

• National B Reader Program

  A program developed in 1974 and administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is designed to create a pool of qualified readers having the skills and ability to provide accurate and precise International Labour Office classifications of pneumoconiosis radiographs (lung disease X-rays).

• Certified B Readers in New York State

  A comprehensive table listing all National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health certified B readers practicing in New York State by name, address, and phone number.

• Exposure History Form

  A useful self-administered tool developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, intended to obtain detailed patient occupational health exposure information.

• What Physicians Need to Know About Occupational Silicosis and Silica Exposure Sources

  A fact sheet published by the State of New Jersey Department of Health in 1998 as part of their state silicosis surveillance program, intended to increase provider awareness regarding occupational silicosis and crystalline silica exposure.

• Recommended Medical Screening Protocol for Silica Exposed Workers

  A protocol developed by Michigan State University's Occupational and Environmental Medicine Department to identify the medical surveillance standard of practice for physicians attending to silica exposed workers.

Resources for Miners

• Silicosis and Mining: Information for Workers

  A fact sheet intended to increase miner awareness concerning occupational silicosis and crystalline silica exposure. This fact sheet includes background information on silica exposure, why miners may be at risk for silicosis, silica exposure prevention recommendations, and who to contact for additional information.

• A Guide to Working Safely With Silica: If It's Silica, It's Not Just Dust (1997)

  A publication produced jointly by the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health providing information on the hazards of crystalline silica exposure and how you can protect yourself and others from occupational exposure to crystalline silica dust.

• A Guide to Miners' Rights and Responsibilities

  A brief introduction to your rights as a miner under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 as well useful resources and publications where you may find additional information on your rights as a worker.

• Voices in the Workplace

  A video produced by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, providing information regarding your federal rights and responsibilities as a mine employee, with case-based learning scenarios and solutions to hypothetical worksite conflicts.

• Silicosis: A Primer for Workplace Prevention

  A presentation providing an overview of silicosis background information, silica exposure prevention controls, and agency contact information pertinent for both miners and mine operators.

• Deadly Dust (2013)

  An informative video produced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration showing how dust control methods can help limit workers' exposure to crystalline silica.

• What Rock Drillers Can Do to Protect Their Lungs From Silica Dust

  Provides information for rock drillers on what they can do to best protect themselves from exposure to silica dust, as well as who to contact for further information on dust control techniques.

Resources for Mine Operators

• Silicosis Prevention Tips

  A Mine Safety and Health Administration publication describing both employer and worker silica exposure controls to help limit worksite exposures to respirable silica dust to help prevent silicosis.

• Office of Mine Safety and Health Research

  A branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health tasked with eliminating mining illnesses, injuries, and fatalities through research and prevention on mine safety and health issues.

• Mining Workshop: Silica Dust Control for Metal/Nonmetal Mining

  A joint workshop held by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Office of Mine Safety and Health Research and Mine Safety and Health Administration directed to the Nevada Mining Association regarding silica dust control for metal/nonmetal mining. This page provides links to a series of presentations given at the workshop, including health effects of silica exposure and dust controls for surface miners.

• Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing

  A collaboration between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Office of Mine Safety and Health Research and the Industrial Minerals Association-North America to help protect the health of U.S. mine workers. This handbook provides information describing both the dust-generating process as well as the engineering controls necessary to enable mine operations to reduce worker dust exposures.

• Respiratory Protection Recommendations for Airborne Exposures to Crystalline Silica

  A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health policy recommendation published in July of 2008 identifying the recommended type of particulate respirator to use to protect against airborne exposures to respirable crystalline silica dust.

• Occupational Respiratory Disease Surveillance: Worker Medical Monitoring

  Provides information on medical monitoring programs and describes what types of monitoring and testing techniques are available for workers who are exposed to airborne respirable particulates.

• Mine Safety Training Program

  A grant program funded by Mine Safety and Health Administration designed to train workers in the surface nonmetal mining industry by providing high quality safety instruction to New York State mine employees.

New York State and National Silicosis Data

• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Health Indicators

  This organization of member states and territories representing public health epidemiologists whose mission includes promoting the effective use of epidemiologic data to guide public health practice and improve health. The Council provides information on 20 different occupational health indicators from 28 states. Indicator #9: hospitalizations from or with pneumoconiosis, and indicator #10: mortality from or with pneumoconiosis concern silicosis.

• Work-Related Lung Disease Surveillance System (eWoRLD), Silicosis: State-Based Surveillance

  Provides current state-based surveillance data for silicosis from participating states. This page provides silicosis morality, morbidity, exposure, and state-based case data.

New York State Mining Data

• Mining and Reclamation

  Provides an introduction to the mining industry in New York State as well as its mineral resource distribution, rules, laws, regulations, and links to further information.

• Statewide Mine Map

  A map of New York State provided by the Department of Environmental Conservation displaying mine locations across New York State by commodity mined.

• Mineral Fact Sheet (2013)

  Information from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Mineral Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey identifying the economic impact of the mining industry in New York State as well as descriptions and statistics on some of the top resources mined in the state.

General Industry Resources

• Crystalline Silica Exposure in General Industry

  A health hazard information card produced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which summarizes the adverse effects of crystalline silica dust exposure in general industry as well as some preventive controls that can be implemented by employees to help limit their exposure.

• On-Site Consultation Service

  A program administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration designed to provide free and confidential safety and occupational health advice to small and medium-sized businesses.

• Silicosis: Learn the Facts!

  This National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health document presents information in an easy to read format describing silica exposures, the effects of silicosis, and methods to protect against silicosis.

• Hazard Review: Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica

  This Hazard Review describes published studies and literature on the health effects of occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica among workers in the United States and many other countries.

• Silica: Publications by Industry

  Provides information on silica-related workplace exposure hazards and prevention methods topically by industry type. Links to pertinent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publications regarding crystalline silica dust exposure in industries such as abrasive blasting, construction, dentistry, foundries, mining, and rock drilling are available.

• Silicosis Surveillance

  The State of New Jersey Department of Health administers a silicosis surveillance program, and provides both general and technical information concerning crystalline silica exposure in a variety of industries and occupations as well as silicosis publications and links to pertinent resources.