#SILICA DUST

[claypigeonpottery]

Out of curiosity, what kind of masks do you use to avoid potters lung?

I stick to my vogmask for pretty much everything. it’s covid safe, and me and my spouse still mask whenever we’re around people so I’ve always got it on me

I know they’re not NIOSH approved but they filter 95% of particles

(but mostly I just do my best to avoid kicking up any dust. and I’ve got an air filter next to my desk)

[dangerdust2]

Increasing evidence shows that SSc is related to various occupational and environmental factors, such as silica exposure .

The risk of SSc in silicosis patients is 28 times higher than that in the general population .

The clinical characteristics of SSc patients with silica exposure are different from those of SSc patients without silica exposure, such as the degree of dermatological disease and of visceral involvement, and the degree and type of autoantibodies 

Key Points

•Concomitant silicosis worsens SSc patients’ prognoses.

•For individuals with occupational exposure, close observation of the symptoms of SSc, early diagnosis, and interruption of exposure may improve the prognosis.

•Gangrene, Scl-70, elevated BNP and cardiac involvement are independent risk factors for overall mortality.

[ehssafetynewsamerica-blog]

Right Outside Our Kitchen Window

Nothing is easy. They’re rebuilding the house next door — right outside our kitchen window. Last week they had guys up too high on the roof for a …Right Outside Our Kitchen Window

[archaalen]

US miners' union head calls House Republican effort to block silica dust rule an 'attack' on workers | AP News

[validworthblog]

Silica dust toolbox talk

Silica dust is one of the hazards people can be exposed to every day of their lives while working in a workplace or at their homes. Sand, gravel, clay, and stones contain silica. It is crystalline. Some of these materials release silica dust when carrying out an activity. Other products where you can find silica include bricks, tiles, concrete and some plastic materials. Silica dust is one of the…

[dangerdust]

In conclusion, the prevalence of pneumoconiosis with CTD was as high as 13.8%, while that of asbestosis and silicosis was 18.3% and 11.4%, respectively.

Female sex and a later stage of pneumoconiosis were independent risk factors for pneumoconiosis with CTD.

These findings provide a new evidence for the high prevention of autoimmune diseases in pneumoconiosis, calling for the formulation of early detection and strengthening prevention strategies

[industrialvacuum]

Clear the Air: How Silica Vacuums Help Protect Against Silica Dust Exposure

Introduction

In the bustling world of construction and heavy-duty industries, dust is more than just a cleanliness issue; it’s a significant health hazard. The problem intensifies when the dust we’re talking about is silica, a common mineral found in materials like concrete, sand, stone, and mortar. When these materials are manipulated, they produce silica dust, a fine respirable particle that poses serious health risks. But there’s an effective weapon against it, and that’s the silica vacuum. In this article, we’ll be discussing how silica vacuums are a game-changer in reducing silica dust exposure.

Silica Dust: A Sneaky Threat

Silica dust exposure can cause silicosis, a long-term lung disease that leads to disability and death. What’s worse, the symptoms don’t show up immediately but develop over years of exposure. Workers in construction, glass manufacturing, sandblasting, and mining industries are particularly vulnerable.

Vacuuming the Problem Away: The Role of Silica Vacuums

Enter the silica vacuum. These industrial dust vacuums are specially designed to capture and contain silica dust at the source, protecting workers and creating a safer working environment. They work by employing high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that can trap 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.

Construction Vacuums: A Special Mention

Now, why have we singled out construction vacuums? Well, it’s because construction sites are one of the leading sources of silica dust. A construction vacuum equipped with a proper filter system can substantially reduce silica dust at its source, making it a crucial tool for construction sites.

How Silica Vacuums Work

The effectiveness of a silica vacuum lies in its HEPA filter system, which captures small particles like silica dust. Additionally, these vacuums often feature cyclonic action, which separates larger particles from the smaller ones, prolonging the life of the filter and ensuring peak vacuum performance.

Continue reading Clear the Air: How Silica Vacuums Help Protect Against Silica Dust Exposure

[grapeagata]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm obsidian.... I like obsidian.... but..... what if... it was red?

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧MAHOGANY OBSIDIAN :D

mmmmmnasdmnanmfnh I love it!!!! SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's Obsidian!!!!!!! With Iron inside it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How much more beautiful can the world get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (well erm actually mahogany) IT'S GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D and it's in my hands, waow, what a time to be alive

[the-starlight-papers]

Y’all I just realized I can 3D print an ocarina

There’s no way that this can backfire horribly or be annoying for anyone.

[desperatepleasures]

felt like I was gonna die by the time I got to class (long week, icky day at work, walked to class) but got my second wind once we started mixing slips but now class is over and I feel like my body is rapidly decaying lol

[claypigeonpottery]

gonna talk about sgraffito and the creation of silica dust under the cut. if you're not interested in that, here, have two unrelated clips of me carving!

I got a question awhile ago about whether people should wear masks when using the sgraffito technique and I said no. but later I was carving a particularly dry piece and I realized I should have said sometimes.

the first part of this video is at regular speed (sorry about the focusing issue, sigh) and you can see as I carve that the tool is pulling away long ribbons of clay. it's still damp enough that the clay is holding together.

in the second part of the video, the time-lapse, you can see how dry the piece is because as I carve, I don't get nice ribbons of clay, I just get dust. silica dust which is not safe for people to inhale.

this is part of why I prefer to carve on the softer side of leather hard. carving dry is more dangerous, and you should wear a mask and have an air purifier going if you're doing it. sometimes there's just no avoiding it--it can be hard to time these things, especially if you're not doing pottery in a home studio.

(carving dry also causes underglaze flaking and it'll make your carving lines kind of wiggly so there's another reason to carve things earlier)

if you are carving at bone dry, don't sweep up or blow away the dust if you can help it, you don't want it airborne. just tip it onto the table and mop it up with a wet sponge

don't hurt your lungs for sgraffito, wear a mask!

[dangerdust2]

There is a well established association between silica inhalational exposure and autoimmune disease, particularly in the context of intense exposure.

Recent findings 

New industries such as jewelry polishing, denim jean production, fabrication of artificial stone benchtops, glass manufacturing and glassware has led to re-emergence of silicosis around the world.

Silicosis with long term exposure to dust containing crystalline silica has been examined as a possible risk factor with respect to several autoimmune diseases as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, and some types of small vessel vasculitis with renal involvement.

The dust may act to promote or accelerate disease development, requiring some other factors to break immune tolerance or initiate autoimmunity. 

Better understanding the mechanisms that involve silica -induced autoimmune diseases may contribute to early diagnosis.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Silica Gel

Silica Gel emerged from the central Alabama underground, blending Renaissance-era texts, modern instrumentation, and unbridled creativity.  The intertwining vocal melodies from Laura Thomas and Lauren Jones reimagine folk music as a time-dissolving means of expression.  This temporal slippage is enhanced by strings, percussion, and cracked electronics.  In his review of Swan Pond, Bryon Hayes said that the album “deftly captures Silica Gel’s odd but endearing incantations. Its heady brew is rife with ghostly emanations, delightful song craft, cracked electronics and medieval melodies.”

The band’s members have recently scattered across the United States, so their activity is winding down, but Dusted managed to get member Jasper Lee (who also runs Alabama’s Sweet Wreath label) to list a few songs that he felt were important to the entire band.    

He elaborates: “This list of songs relates to Silica Gel's world in one way or another. Some are artists we've played favorite shows with, like White Gourd, Junior Mint Prince, Johnny Coley, and Post Moves. There's also music we've been particularly influenced by and love connecting with others on. Songs for a Silica Gel Mixtape!”  

Eyes of the Amaryllis — Every Year

When Silica Gel was on tour in Philadelphia, Jim Strong gave me this LP of a group he was in. When I got back home to Alabama and listened, it was totally mesmerizing. I can't even really describe it...but it's very emotional and some of the most ineffable music I've ever heard. There were days in the winter when I just listened to it over and over, not turning the record player off....just moving the needle back to the beginning again and again. I like that you can't hear the words. They're there....but subliminal and suggestive rather than being a focal point.

Post Moves — Always for Pleasure

Sam's performances on the pedal steel are transcendent. I'm in awe of the range of sounds and atmospheres he creates.... plus the gamelan-like bells and scrap metal percussion he plays along with the strings. His compositions have a great openness to them, I like hearing how they continually shift and morph. This piece makes me think of a European road movie; opening up in a grey eerie fog in 1978. We've played a few shows together and really bonded through common creative interests. There's a string of Post Moves releases from the past few years that have all developed his sound in really compelling ways. One of the most interesting pedal steel players around!

Pearls Before Swine — Drop Out!

I got Covid while visiting the Green Plum Ensemble in Philly and stayed in a friend's apartment alone for three days. I listened to this record repeatedly. I think it was the best soundtrack for woozily stumbling around, nodding off and convalescing. The music is comforting and exciting at the same time. The voice is serene but can also bite, like in "Uncle John." I learned to play that song and it's really empowering. I think Silica Gel likes to wander in similar psych-folk territories as this music.

Johnny Coley — They're Dreaming Me

It's amazing that this even happened. It was totally off the cuff.... but it's like Johnny's theme song. Not many people know about Johnny now, but I think they will...more and more. I'm biased because I know him and I played on this, but I'm viewing it here from the perspective of a listener. I just like hearing it, and I also wanted to include it because there's a lot of crossover between this Johnny album and Silica Gel. We were working on both records at the same time in the same place, at Sweet Wreath, and we didn't have MUCH time at all. "My Little Fox Ears" on our album Swan Pond is based on one of Johnny's poems. I think this may be the first time anyone has turned his writing into a separate piece of music. But hearing Johnny's voice is the best way to encounter his poetry....and what better track than the mystery of "They're Dreaming Me."

Roxy Gordon — An Open Letter to Illegal Aliens

Another poet with a potent vernacular voice that must be reckoned with. Choctaw, Assiniboine, and Texan poet, journalist, artist, activist, and musician Roxy Gordon is one of a kind. His message speaks to me. "Ask the water. Ask the air what grief your green dollars have wrought. Ask the cut, bleeding, poisoned earth." I think people need to hear the wisdom of people like Roxy. Someone telling it like it is, straight and true. You can hear the love in his voice, and the anger at what colonialism is still doing to us and the land today. His words are personal yet panoramic in scope.

Junior Mint Prince — Strange Ballad

One of the best performances I've ever seen. When they play, a folksy song like this one would just float everybody along on a blissed-out cotton candy cloud then turn into a noise jam of computer glitches and weird vocal melisma, and like heavy breathing and hiccupping, and two clowns would come tip-toeing out grimacing and tossing a crystal ball around, and it would progress into a free jazz saxophone duel where they all left the building wailing.

Slapp Happy — Blue Flower

Jangly as hell, every instrument in this song is jangly. Like a synesthesia of the lyric in it, "the sun was sparkling on the shaft of your knife." Sun sparkles just being zapped into your brain through sound waves. Amazing lyrics, and Dagmar's voice is like a high brittle whine that'll fuck you up, she knows what's going on.... she’s the cool one, not whoever she's singing about.

White Gourd — Magician le Diable

Every show, she BECOMES one of the major arcana of the Tarot. I saw her become Justice at a small club in Portland, Maine. She scraped huge swords together, and gave everyone bells to ring. The whole place vibrated with the shimmer of the bells. She sang and played sax and drums in cycles, going through stages of a musical ritual that was totally effective in manifesting the feeling that Justice would be Wrought.

Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age

Yes! It seems that there is still very fertile sonic territory in the valley between POP and COLLAGE. Or maybe it's more Voice, Melody and Memory? Singing set adrift in an amusement park of field recordings, sound effects, and loops. When I first learned what Hauntology was, it was an uncanny affirmation of what I'd always felt but couldn't quite articulate. Something about recording being like the cultural production of ghosts. This is a good record to listen to and think about while reading Mark Fisher!

Steeleye Span — Dark Eyed Sailor

I like to drive to this song. That beat! So steady, and warm...it seems like it could go on forever. Silica Gel is really influenced by all the UK folk-rock and folk revival stuff from the 1960s and 1970s. We like it all. But Steeleye Span is a favorite. How did I not know about this growing up? I got into it a lot later, but it hit powerfully, and I was hooked. Laura and Lauren in Silica Gel seem born to sing harmonies like these...it's in the blood. So, we try to bring the Steeleye influence in however we can. If you don't know this music, do yourself a favor and go down a rabbit hole with it, maybe spend a whole fall or winter with it. You won't regret it!

[girderednerve]

The proposed crackdown on silica follows a fraught history of the mine safety agency's decades of failure to protect miners from the toxic dust. The proposal also overlooks a history of overexposure at coal mines.

Again, this downplays the need and justification for action.

The rule notes that 93% of silica dust samples have been in compliance with existing silica dust limits since 2016. But the remaining 7% of samples amount to 5,300 instances of excessive exposure to the dust based on the newly proposed limit, according to MSHA data analyzed by Louisville Public Media and Public Health Watch.

In the 30 years leading up to 2016, agency data analyzed by NPR and Frontline found 21,000 excessive silica dust samples based on the existing limit. More than twice that many dust samples — 52,000 — exceeded the newly proposed limit.

This means that coal miners worked amid dangerous levels of silica dust — which is easily inhaled, easily lodges in lungs and can lead to severe disease and death — tens of thousands of times in 30 years.

During those three decades, the risk of silica dust exposure increased, as mining consumed the thickest coal seams, leaving thinner seams embedded in rock. Cutting those thinner seams generated more fine silica particles.

Also, during that period, the agency did not respond effectively to the threat.

[captainjonnitkessler]

Construction workers will be like "vaccines? No thank you I am NOT filing my body with poisonous chemicals" and then jackhammer concrete for 8 straight hours without so much as a dust mask

[newps]

what do i dooo