Silica, Silicosis - Cancer and the Plastering Industry

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twitcher

twitcher

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Alright fellow spreads,

It's recently come to my attention that a lot of our plastering gear, from Bonding to Multi, contains Silica.
Silica is also prevalent in a lot of other building materials like aerated blocks.

The problem is Silica, or more specifically, Crystalline Silica, when breathed in to our lungs, causes cancer.

There's very little information about the harmful effects of Silica on the bags of plaster we use, or the data sheets. In fact on British Gypsum's spec sheets, the Silica is referred to as Quartz (Silica).

If you'd like to check this out for yourselves then have a read of the data sheets on British Gypsum's site, from Multi-Finish to joint compound.

Data Sheets

And now for the health based warnings on Silica. Have a read of these:

http://www.buildsafe.org/hazalerts/KFsilica.pdf

OSH Answers: 2-Health Effects of Quartz Silica

'Will quartz silica cause cancer?
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded that crystalline silica in the form of quartz or cristobalite from occupational sources should be classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), upgraded from its previous classification as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). This conclusion was drawn on the basis of a relatively large number of human population studies that together provide sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of inhaled crystalline silica. In many (although not all) of these studies, lung cancer risks were elevated and could not be explained by other factors. Recent reviews have tended to conclude that if exposures are controlled to prevent silicosis, they will probably also prevent cancer. The risk of developing silicosis depends on the airborne concentration of crystalline silica, the particle size and the duration of exposure.
The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) identifies crystalline silica (respirable size) as a substance which may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has not assigned a carcinogenicity designation for crystalline silica.

Will quartz silica act in a synergistic manner with other materials (will its effects be more than the sum of the effects from the exposure to each chemical alone)?
There is disagreement about whether tobacco smoke increases the severity of the effect of silica dust on respiratory impairment. Simultaneous exposure to known carcinogens, for example, benzo(a)pyrene, can increase the carcinogenicity of crystalline silica. A synergistic effect between smoking and crystalline silica and/or silicosis on risk of lung cancer, is also likely.

Is there potential for quartz silica to build-up or accumulate in my body?
Quartz dust can accumulate in the lungs. Inhaled particles are deposited at various locations within the respiratory tract, depending on their shape, mass, aerodynamic characteristics and other physical properties. Most, but not all, silica is cleared from the lungs after inhalation and deposition. The elimination of quartz particles continues for many years after the last exposure. Silica is slightly absorbed into the body. Absorbed silica is deposited mainly in the liver, spleen and regional lymph nodes. Silicic acid absorbed into the blood stream is excreted through the kidneys. '
 
good point and one in which ive raised in inductions on numerous occasions
we mostly use a american thin coat rendering product called dryvit,
on the paills it clearly says harfull , contains silica can cause cancer

nice to know a .
 
From what I can make out they seem to use quartz silica as a filler. It's one of the most commonly occurring minerals in the earth's crust.

So surprise, surprise, it could all be about cost to the construction industry. And telling us about the risks of it is also a cost to them.
 
If you wear a hi viz vest and hard hat and boots it wont hurt you! HSE is a joke, they protect insurance companys and the large organisations, they don't give a flying if you work yourself to death and die early. Well done Twitcher, keep your eye on them mate!
 
Last site I was on they insisted we wore dust masks when mixing so at least they are pushing for it. But ain't silica basically sand and insulation has loads of it in and once inhaled it pretty much stays on your lungs forever as your body cant reject it :RpS_unsure: I didn't realise it caused the big C though.
 
we're all doomed aye doomed!
Joking aside.... where do we draw the line on HSE... theres risks to everything we do, maybe one day we will have to go to work in space suits!
Just playing devils advocate...
 
the old tacker that used to work for my old boss was adamant that the stuff in boards and insulation was dangerous. as said above, once uv breathed it in it doesnt come back out. and he also seemed to think it was like that crystal stuff u can grow on ur window ledge. as in it multiplies over time??

i just put on the last thread about this aswell, its something to think about when spraying finish as a lot of vapour is in the air
 
at least all the tapers will pile in before us spreads........:RpS_thumbsup:
 
twitcher said:
Alright fellow spreads,

It's recently come to my attention that a lot of our plastering gear, from Bonding to Multi, contains Silica.
Silica is also prevalent in a lot of other building materials like aerated blocks.

The problem is Silica, or more specifically, Crystalline Silica, when breathed in to our lungs, causes cancer.

There's very little information about the harmful effects of Silica on the bags of plaster we use, or the data sheets. In fact on British Gypsum's spec sheets, the Silica is referred to as Quartz (Silica).

If you'd like to check this out for yourselves then have a read of the data sheets on British Gypsum's site, from Multi-Finish to joint compound.

Data Sheets

And now for the health based warnings on Silica. Have a read of these:

http://www.buildsafe.org/hazalerts/KFsilica.pdf

OSH Answers: 2-Health Effects of Quartz Silica

'Will quartz silica cause cancer?
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded that crystalline silica in the form of quartz or cristobalite from occupational sources should be classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), upgraded from its previous classification as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). This conclusion was drawn on the basis of a relatively large number of human population studies that together provide sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of inhaled crystalline silica. In many (although not all) of these studies, lung cancer risks were elevated and could not be explained by other factors. Recent reviews have tended to conclude that if exposures are controlled to prevent silicosis, they will probably also prevent cancer. The risk of developing silicosis depends on the airborne concentration of crystalline silica, the particle size and the duration of exposure.
The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) identifies crystalline silica (respirable size) as a substance which may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has not assigned a carcinogenicity designation for crystalline silica.

Will quartz silica act in a synergistic manner with other materials (will its effects be more than the sum of the effects from the exposure to each chemical alone)?
There is disagreement about whether tobacco smoke increases the severity of the effect of silica dust on respiratory impairment. Simultaneous exposure to known carcinogens, for example, benzo(a)pyrene, can increase the carcinogenicity of crystalline silica. A synergistic effect between smoking and crystalline silica and/or silicosis on risk of lung cancer, is also likely.

Is there potential for quartz silica to build-up or accumulate in my body?
Quartz dust can accumulate in the lungs. Inhaled particles are deposited at various locations within the respiratory tract, depending on their shape, mass, aerodynamic characteristics and other physical properties. Most, but not all, silica is cleared from the lungs after inhalation and deposition. The elimination of quartz particles continues for many years after the last exposure. Silica is slightly absorbed into the body. Absorbed silica is deposited mainly in the liver, spleen and regional lymph nodes. Silicic acid absorbed into the blood stream is excreted through the kidneys. '
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Thank Fcuk for that Twatch i thought it was the booze that was paining my liver and kidneys.
 
I'm trying to work out what this 4% of quartz silica does. It's also used as an abrasive in other parts of the building industry, but this isn't why I think it's in our plaster. From what I've read about stuff concerned with making plaster molds, it seems the silica used there is in a lot higher proportion than in the plaster we use. It seems to re***d and strengthen the mold plaster. The guides I've read stress the importance of wearing a respirator when you handle it.

I'm thinking instead of getting scared shitless about exposure to this stuff, why can't companies like British Gypsum find an alternative to using quartz silica in our plaster?
 
it's hard to put this in perspective really, I guess a lot of us are trying to weigh up how this has and is still affecting us.

I can't quite get my head around what the exposure limits are like in a real working environment. We open at least several bags of stuff a day, the bags are poorly made - in fact I was just thinking about the exposure workers get just handling the stuff before we get it. It's difficult to weigh up, but I'm gonna mask up from now on and try and mix up outside even though it's gonna mean more work and stress on my body.

I think British Gypsum owe us all some answers.
 
Why do you think Africans plaster with s**t? They might not know how to put on a condom or dress properly, but you will never catch them using plaster containing silica.
 
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it's in virtually everything here, cement, blocks, grout, plasters. You name it, if they need a filler, there will be some silica in there. And they know what it's doing to us.
 
what about rubbing that k rend shite down for days on end , thats proper gonna **** us all up that stuff. if the stress dont kill ya at least the stuff will finsh us off. happy new year!:RpS_cursing:
 
i used some primer shite in a tin at the start of the year and that said may cause cancer on the tin. and my clothes stunk for about 3 washes afterwards
 
think that's more to do with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) - most VOC's are harmful.

I always get a bit monged offa stabiliser and I've also noticed it with Betonkontakt.
 
whats a voc?

what matey said a couple of posts up, scraping mono probably isnt all that great for you. it hurts when u get a mouthful when mixing it
 
Yeah mono is pretty bad on the dust side of things, maybe thats why we dont get very good rates, as a plasterer the industry must think it dont matter they wont live very long in that trade :RpS_unsure: old retired plasterers are as common as rocking horse s**t.
 
Thinking about this logically, surely if this was as great a threat to our health as we're all now thinking, it would have shown up on a massive scale. I mean just think of the amount of people that have been using all these products containing silica for years and years, they'd have been dropping like flies for decades by now.
 
and another thing!.. Even if we were all piling in cos of the silica, they wont do feck all about it until someone sues someone else. It was the same with asbestosis, vibration whitefinger and RSI
 
my misses put one of those magnets up on the fridge with a picture of a load of builders and one blanked out then it says every week one of us dies...............cheers love
 
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