Determination of Construction Worker's Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Respirable Dust

The dust raised in construction activities is one of the most important occupational hazard for health of construction workers. Due to the nature of the raw materials used, dust contains crystalline silica, which is classified as a confirmed human carcinogen. Due to the lack of personal monitoring of construction workers in Iran, this study was designed to evaluate occupational exposure to the general dust and its component crystalline silica.
In this cross-sectional study, occupational exposure of 85 construction workers was evaluated. Workers were monitored for respirable general dust and crystalline silica using methods issued by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (No.0600 and No.7602). Risk assessments in the form of excess mortality rate due to silicosis and lung cancer based on the models presented by Rice and Manettej were calculated.
The mean exposure of workers to general respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica dust were 9.8 ±0.35 and 0.13 ± 0.019 as mg/m3 respectively. Workers’ exposure in various task groups had statically significant differences in exposures to respirable dust (P Due to the high exposure and unacceptable risk assessment of Iranian construction workers to respirable crystalline silica and respirable general dusts, administrative and technical control measures are justified.