Respirable Crystalline Silica Standards & Resources:

The products identified above contain respirable crystalline silica (also known as silica dust). Fabrication and processing (i.e., machining, crushing, cutting, drilling, abrading, abrasive blasting, grinding, chiseling, carving, gouging, polishing, buffing, fracturing, or intentional breaking) of engineered quartz, natural stone and porcelain slabs can generate silica dust.

Exposure to silica dust above exposure limits is hazardous without proper protections and may cause respiratory irritation and lung damage through prolonged or repeated exposure. Breathing silica dust may increase the risk of developing severe illnesses such as silicosis, lung cancer, fibrosis of the lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, or kidney disease. Preexisting physical conditions or disorders may increase the risk of adverse health effects from exposure to silica dust.

Wherever the above products are fabricated and processed, a silica dust control program shall be in place in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, orders and directives, including those issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Cal-OSHA.