Occupational exposure to high levels of respirable quartz can result in respiratory and other diseases in humans. The Mine Safety and Health Adminstration (MSHA) regulates exposure to respirable quartz in coal mines indirectly through reductions in the respirable coal mine dust exposure limit based on the content of quartz in the airborne respirable dust. This reduction is implemented when the ...

Quartz fibers are used in high energy physics experiments as the active medium in high radiation area calorimetry. Quartz fibers are also used in the transmission of optical signals. Even though quartz does not damage by moderate amounts of irradiation, the clad of the fibers and the protective coating (buffer) do damage reducing light transmission. Various types of quartz fibers have been irra...

In this study we have measured exposure levels to quartz in different parts of the slate industry in Alta, Northern Norway. Full shift personal samples were collected from the breathing zones of outdoor and indoor workers in the slate quarries and a slate factory. The quartz content of respirable dust was between 7 and 41%. The slate factory had the lower quartz levels although 41% of total and...

Fracturing quartz produces silica-based radicals on the fracture planes and generates hydroxyl radicals (.OH) in aqueous media. .OH production has been shown to be directly associated with quartz-induced cell damage and phagocyte activation in vitro. This .OH production in vitro is inhibited by desferrioxamine mesylate, an Fe chelator, indicating involvement of a Fenton-like reaction. Our objec...

this research was conducted from july 1993 to june 1994 on the total population (711 workers) of a glass factory. the purpose of this study was to determine the quantitative free silica (quartz) in respiratory zone of workers in glass industry. field samples including 50 samples total dust and 37 samples respirable dust and standard simplex were collected on membrane filters using skc dust samp...

The modernization of human civilization has led to the prospect better and more durable building materials. Marble, found in various colors textures, been used as a stone for centuries, either cut or polished stone. present study evaluated petrological, geochemical, geotechnical characterizations Gahirat Marble formation It is exposed over an area 160 square kilometers southwestern Chitral. div...

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) can downregulate expression of several proinflammatory cytokines including chemokines. This study investigated the role of IL-10 in the acute response of the rat lung to quartz particles. Intratracheal instillation of rats with 1 mg of quartz produced an inflammatory and cytotoxic response demonstrated by increased bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid neutrophils, lactate d...

Following the classification of quartz as a human carcinogen by the IARC, many standard-setting committees are currently trying to convert this hazard into their national or EU standards. Since human data to set a safe exposure limit for quartz are limited, we hypothesized that lung burden data on quartz in coal miners' lungs after lifetime exposure could be used to set a non-carcinogenic lung ...

Synthetic waveform modeling of the anomalous receiver functions for two stations in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, California, suggests that a flat-topped notch structure exists on the Moho. North of the San Andreas Fault (SAF), the Moho depth is 36–38 km and is 33–35 km south of the San Gabriel Fault (SGF), but in-between under the Mt. Baldy block, it is only ∼29 km. The inferred notch str...

Removal of high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide using a biofilter packed with expanded schist under extreme acidic conditions was performed. The impact of various parameters such as H2S concentration, pH changes and sulfate accumulation on the performances of the process was evaluated. Elimination efficiency decreased when the pH was lower than 1 and the sulfate accumulation was more than 12...