At Coverings in Atlanta this past May, iQ Power Tools president Joel Guth gave a presentation with NTCA president Martin Howard of David Allen Company and NTCA assistant executive director Jim Olson titled, “What the Tile Industry Needs to Know about the Silica Standard.” The presentation started with an overview of what silica is and the hazard, standards, exposure and options to manage your exposure. Silica is quartz that naturally occurs as a component in many construc- tion products, including concrete, tile, mortar, grout, etc. When you inhale the dust from cutting tile, grinding concrete flooring, mixing traditional materials, dry sweeping or demo, the tiny quartz/silica par- ticles penetrate deep into the lungs and cause scarring and disease. Once these respirable crystalline silica particles lodge in the lungs, they can create a range of irre- versible diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and kidney disease. Inhaled silica dust causes fibrosis or scar tissue, as well as sil- icosis lung disease, both of which reduce the lungs’ ability to extract oxygen from the air. There is no cure for these often-fatal diseases. Think it doesn’t affect you? Often, when protective gear isn’t used or precautions aren’t taken, it’s too late to discover that it has. According to the OSHA Frequently Asked Questions for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule (https://www. osha.gov/silica/Silica_FAQs_2016- 3-22.pdf) the problem of silico- sis remains a serious workplace health problem even though silico- sis cases and deaths have declined in recent years. The document says that “from 2005 through 2014, sili- Respirable crystalline silica – it can take your breath away iQ Power tools and NTCA join to explain effective approaches to meeting OSHA PEL By Lesley Goddin Sponsored by TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 62 TileLetter | June 2018