Types and Sources of Silica Dust

The Types and Sources of Silica Dust

Silica comes in a variety of different forms, including:

• Quartz
• Tridymite
• Cristobalite 
• Keatite 
• Ctesite
• Stishovite
• Moganite

Of these, Quartz is the most commonly found and used. It occurs in many varieties in almost all types of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

The dust can be created from a range of different activities including cutting, drilling, polishing, grinding, and even disturbing or moving some substances. 

Certain types of soil can contain higher levels of silica than others, and so ploughing fields or excavating soil can release particles into the air, as can moving or transporting sand.

The most common types of silica dust that people come in to contact with as a result of their work include:

Plaster Dust – when mixing ingredients, cutting, sanding or breaking, the tiny particles of dust that are given off are highly dangerous if you inhale them

Brick Dust – whether cutting, chipping, breaking or crushing, brick dust can be high in silica and must be kept out of the lungs

Concrete Dust – when mixing the ingredients, cutting, breaking up or moving, the tiny particles of cement dust are likely to contain high levels of silica and other substances

Coal Dust – moving, processing, mining or breaking up coal produces a lot of thick black dust which can be high in silica and dangerous to the lungs

Tile Dust – when cutting tiles to shape, the dust that is given off often contains high levels of silica

Marble dust – cutting kitchen and bathroom worktops or processing marble in any way that involves cutting, grinding or polishing can release the dust that contains silica

Mining dust – what ever the mine might be producing, the risk of many different types of dusts being prevalent in underground or open-face mining mean that the risk of inhaling dust can be particularly high

Brake dust – when working on vehicles the dust that can be released from worn brake-pads can contain silica among other dangerous substances

Dust that is created from a vast variety of different sources can contain silica, and particularly respirable crystalline silica within it, and so in all situations the risk of inhaling dust must be reduced wherever possible.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Silica Dust Exposure claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.