Where Is Silica Found

Crystalline silica exposure continues to be a serious threat in the workplace, so it’s important to educate employees on the risks involved. In order to do that, make sure your employees know all about what silica is and where it’s found.

What Is Silica?

Before we can talk about where silica is found, it’s important to understand exactly what silica is. Check out our previous post that explains what silica is.

The main varieties of crystalline silica are the rocks quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite. Crystalline silica is used in manufacturing, household abrasives, adhesives, paints, soaps, and glass.

Where Is Silica Found?

So we know that silica is in rocks—almost all of the rocks on earth—and we know that rocks are part of many materials in construction and other industries. So that means silica is pretty much everywhere. Silica is really only dangerous if it’s in its respirable dust form, though, so it’s important to be aware of the materials and environments where the silica commonly becomes respirable.

Construction Materials That Contain Silica

These materials are common in construction, and many of them are worked with in such a way as to produce a respirable dust.

• asphalt
• brick
• cement
• concrete
• drywall
• grout
• gunite
• mortar
• plaster
• sand
• shotcrete
• stone
• stucco
• terrazzo
• tile

Common stone types that contain silica include granite, limestone, quartzite, sandstone, shale, and slate.

Any house, building, street, or parking lot you see was probably made with at least one form of silica. The presence of silica-containing materials isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Owning a house with granite countertops won’t hurt you, but when you’re the one cutting and creating the countertop pieces, you have to take special care when working in silica dust-filled air.

It’s important to keep employers and employees informed about silica, including exactly what it is, where it’s found, and what the safety requirements are. Download this free ebook today and share it with your employees to educate them on the facts about silica. You’ll even find some employee training material inside if you’re ready to make a change.