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hidden dangers

Four of Twenty Items Address Problems of Drywall Dust or Silicosis

From Performance Highlights of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 1995-1999

• Documented substantially elevated risk of silicosis and autoimmune diseases among workers exposed to levels permitted by the current OSHA exposure limit.
• Documented a 90 percent reduction in drywall dust emissions (a silicosis risk to construction workers) with the use of commercially available ventilated dry-wall sanders.
• Documented elevated blood lead levels (exceeding CDC recommendations) among children of construction workers, resulting from contamination of workers and their work clothes.
• Documented an unrecognized high prevalence of silica exposures among surface miners, leading to preventive measures in industry and by MSHA.