Sand blasting and Silicosis. What you should know

[SATAN]

I wanted to post this up and hopefully have it stuck in the beginning of the fabricators safety, since it obviously falls under safety for... well... fabrication of sorts. I pulled this from the following site. threadhttp://www.silicosis-injury-attorneys.com/pages/sandblasting_risks.html

 

"Sandblasters Are at Special Risk

Often abrasive blasting with sands containing crystalline silica can cause serious or fatal respiratory disease.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studied 99 cases of silicosis from exposure to crystalline silica during sandblasting during the late 1990's. Of the 99 workers reported, 14 have died from the disease, and at the time of the study the remaining 85 were at risk of death from silicosis and its complications.

Description and Uses of Abrasive Blasting

Abrasive blasting involves forcefully projecting a stream of abrasive particles onto a surface, usually with compressed air or steam. Because silica sand is commonly used in this process, workers who perform abrasive blasting are often known as sandblasters. Tasks performed by sandblasters include the following:

Cleaning sand and irregularities from foundry castings

Cleaning and removing paint from ship hulls, stone buildings, metal bridges, and other metal surfaces finishing tombstones, etching or frosting glass, and performing certain artistic endeavors

When workers inhale the crystalline silica used in abrasive blasting, the lung tissue reacts by developing fibrotic nodules and scarring around the trapped silica particles. This fibrotic condition of the lung is called silicosis. If the nodules grow too large, breathing becomes difficult and death may result. Silicosis victims are also at high risk of developing active tuberculosis. More on the disease >>

The Silica sand used in abrasive blasting typically fractures into fine particles and becomes airborne. Inhalation of such silica appears to produce a more severe lung reaction than silica that is not freshly fractured. This factor may contribute to the development of acute and accelerated forms of silicosis among sandblasters.

Number of Exposed Workers

Of the more than 2 million U.S. workers are at risk of developing silicosis and that more than 100,000 of these workers are employed as sandblasters. Approximately 120,000 of the 2 million workers exposed to crystalline silica will eventually develop silicosis.

The disease has been know to affect as sandblasters for decades, a 1936 study in Great Britain found that 5.4% of a population of sandblasters (24 of 441) died from silicosis or silicosis with tuberculosis in a 3.5-year period.

Respiratory Protection Practices

Acute silicosis is less common today than it was in the 1930s because engineering controls are used to reduce exposure to respirable crystalline silica and because the use of alternative abrasives is increasing. However, data indicate that most abrasive blasters continue to work without adequate respiratory protection. In addition, workers adjacent to abrasive blasting operations (for example, painters, welders, and laborers) often wear no respiratory protection.

Ventilation controls for reducing crystalline silica exposures are not used in most industries. Studies have found that even in short-term sandblasting operations (less than 2 ? hours of blasting during an 8-hour workday), the average concentration of crystalline silica was 764 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3), with an average silica content of 25.5%. This average dust concentration was twice the 1974 standard of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In a 1974 study of respiratory protection practices during abrasive blasting, the protection factors for supplied-air respirators with helmets ranged from 1.9 to 3,750. This wide range was attributed to the varied conditions of the equipment rather than to the superiority of any brand. Maintenance was universally poor or nonexistent, and the persons responsible for selecting respiratory protection for abrasive blasting were inadequately informed about the proper use and maintenance of such equipment. The higher protection factors were associated with high rates of helmet air flow, but these high flow rates increased noise levels as a result of air turbulence. The study also indicated that the air inlets were too noisy and that the blasters' helmets tended to fall from the wearers' shoulders when they stooped.

Prohibition of Silica in Abrasive Blasting

Because of the high risk for silicosis in sandblasters and the difficulty in controlling exposures, the use of crystalline silica for blast cleaning operations was prohibited in Great Britain in 1950 [Factories Act 1949] and in other European countries in 1966. In 1974, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommended that silica sand (or other substances containing more than 1% free silica) be prohibited as abrasive blasting material and that less hazardous materials be used in blasting operations."

[MJLamberson]

I guess I should start wearing a dust mask

[SATAN]

I guess I should start wearing a dust mask

 

Not just any dust mask. You want to get a mask/respirator that is a n95 through n100. This catches 95% of particles for the n95 or up to 99.9% for the n100's.

[Calgary280ZT]

The sand blasting place I use makes everyone wear a big helmet with air that hangs down over the chest...now I know why...Isn't this standard practice at all sand blasting places?

[SATAN]

The sand blasting place I use makes everyone wear a big helmet with air that hangs down over the chest...now I know why...Isn't this standard practice at all sand blasting places?

 

Probably, but lots of people do sand blasting on their own. If you dont know what to look out for, you may just go buy some regular sand and try to blast with it. That could potentially be very bad.

 

This warning could also go for anyone who grinds on glass. I used to be a glazier. We would cut up mirror and grind down the edges. The sand that is used for glass IS silica sand. So grinding that and breathing it in =

[Evan Purple240zt]

So if I were to use some other non silicate substrate I can assume the risk is dramatically less?

 

I will be investing in a sandblasting cabinet at some point, as I hate getting really dirty from blasting.

 

Evan

[SATAN]

So if I were to use some other non silicate substrate I can assume the risk is dramatically less?

 

I will be investing in a sandblasting cabinet at some point, as I hate getting really dirty from blasting.

 

Evan

 

Yes, until they find something wrong with that blasting media. LOL.

Either way, it is good insurance to grab a N95 or better mask that is good for about 40 hours of breathing and only costs about 3-5 dollars.

[Evan Purple240zt]

I actually have an N95 respirator I use when cutting metal with a grinder.

 

I hate that crap in my nose/mouth.

 

Evan

[JSM]

On a side note the $100 sandblasting cabinet from Harbor Freight leaks like crazy first day out of the box. I wear a mask using it also.

[Evan Purple240zt]

On a side note the $100 sandblasting cabinet from Harbor Freight leaks like crazy first day out of the box. I wear a mask using it also.

 

You think you can fix it? or is it doomed? I would consider one if its workable.

[MJLamberson]

On a side note the $100 sandblasting cabinet from Harbor Freight leaks like crazy first day out of the box. I wear a mask using it also.

 

leak is an understatement in my experience with them

[DemonZ]

It's best to have an air-supplied respirator. The filtration respirators are inadequate for silica blasting; the particulate is too small.

[Careless]

N95 masks are like 5-10 bucks for 3-5 masks or so.

 

The way to get the harbor-freight cabinets to be less-hazardous is this:

 

1) go to a garage sale or craigslist, and look for a work vacuum that u don't mind trashing.

2) fill the basin of the vacuum with water (a litre or two should do). Make sure the vacuum line going into the vacuum from the hand-wand plunges into the water.

3) make sure the water does not go as high as the motor/filter.

4) hook that up to your sandblaster, and test to make sure your motor does not ingest water.

 

 

The water serves to trap the sand as it comes into the vacuum, and not throw it through the motor and back into the air, where it will be broken down into further smaller particles.

 

WAIT! we're not done.

 

5) Disassemble your entire sandblasting box (....yep). Go get 7 or 8 packs of butyl rubber (or measure every bolted edge of the box, and find your total length), and put it back together with a good butyl rubber sealer.

 

6) At this point, you may want to replace any glass with a good stiff plexi that has a BIT of resilience to it. and on the inside of the box, put some translucent plastic sheets to protect the plexi-glass from getting sandblasted.

 

7) Test. If the box starts to expand a little bit due to build up of pressure in the box, you should be ok. (that's why we replaced the glass that you're staring through with plexi. its not as painful when it busts in your face, and it will most likely still be held in at the edges with the bolts, whereas glass will be held at the edges with surgical pliers when you're removing the shards from your eyes and cheeks).

 

 

 

 

I hope everyone takes the time to do this. And sandblast outside (that doesn't mean in your garage) and make sure any pets or neighbors are aware of you doing this kind of stuff.

[Evan Purple240zt]

Careless, thats EXACTLY what I wanted to know! Thanks dude.

 

May I suggest lexan for the lid? It actually scratches easier but I have found it to be VERY resistant to breakage. Not sure how big the window is but sometimes you can get 3/8" plexi off ebay cheap that is leftover.

 

Evan

[Careless]

Careless, thats EXACTLY what I wanted to know! Thanks dude.

 

May I suggest lexan for the lid? It actually scratches easier but I have found it to be VERY resistant to breakage. Not sure how big the window is but sometimes you can get 3/8" plexi off ebay cheap that is leftover.

 

Evan

 

Anything like that would work, as long as it's somewhat shatterproof. Don't worry about the scratching. Duct-tape the translucent film (2 layers should be ok) to the inside of the viewing screen. and if it doesn't have a light bulb inside, you can get an under-cabinet light for kitchens at the dollar store. Cover the edges of the light with duct-tape so sand doesn't get in there.

 

Just make sure you have a vacuum to do the breathing for you. You will walk away from the cabinet without feeling tired or stuffed, even hours later.