Silicosis is a disabling and often fatal lung disease that is completely preventable. The recent designation of silica as a lung carcinogen, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) makes the control of silica urgent. The connection between silicosis and tuberculosis is well known, and with the rise of drug resistant tuberculosis, the need to control silica is clear. Sandblasting produces high silica exposures. The urgency to decrease silica exposures has produced excellent research at NIOSH on the industrial hygiene aspects of blasting substitutes (Mickelsen et al, 1995, Greskovitch, 1999). Yet, there has been little research into the health effects that are not associated with chemical exposures, such as ergonomic effects, and the economics of the substitutes. With all the much needed focus on technologies to reduce silica exposure, we must be mindful of introducing new hazards into the workplace. There have been numerous cases of unintended consequences resulting from well- intentioned interventions, because the focus has been on controlling a single hazard rather than assessing the full range of impacts on the work environment (Rosenberg, 1996). In order to fully evaluate an intervention, we need to take an integrated approach to the workplace. Further, for any of this research to be useful for contractors in deciding which method to choose, we need to have full cost accounting of each of the technologies. Otherwise, contractors are dependent solely on manufacturers for this information. This proposal investigates the range of health and economic impacts of interventions used to decrease silica exposure in the sandblasting industry. Objectives are to: 1) determine the potential health and economic impacts of selected substitute materials and technologies for silica sand in abrasive blasting and 2) acquire the skill to perform hazard analyses and economic analyses for the work environment.
