Cement




Cement dust and environmental diseases
Jong-Han Leem, MD
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Korea.

Corresponding author: Jong-Han Leem, Email: ekeeper@inha.ac.kr 
Received December 12, 2011; Accepted December 27, 2011.


Even in the 21st century, some working environments still expose workers to cement dust. Many people are also exposed to cement dusts particles in their living environment, such as near cement production facilities and areas under construction. The cement industry is involved in the development of the physical infrastructure of advanced industrial society but generates dust during its production. The classic type of pneumoconiosis in coal workers has decreased, but recently, adverse health effects due to exposure to cement dust has increased in construction workers. Cement dust contains fine and ultrafine particles, 0.05-5.0 µm in aerodiameter, which can penetrate into the lung parenchyma and cause toxic damage. Cement dust can cause lung function impairment, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumoconiosis, and carcinoma of the lungs. Other studies have shown that cement dust may contain toxic heavy metals, such as hexavalent chromium, nickel, and cobalt. Cement dust may cause inflammatory changes in the skin, and often leads to skin diseases or autoimmune diseases. Therefore, close surveillance to monitor the potential toxic effects of cement dust and intervention to minimize its health risks is needed.
Keywords: Cement dust; Silicon dioxide; Heavy metal; Pneumoconiosis; Neoplasms




EUROPE’S CHROMIUM VI LIMIT ACCEPTS 1-IN-10 CANCER RISK

MAY 25, 2016  LEAVE A COMMENT




An Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) for chromium VI proposed by the European Commission has been set at a level it knows will see 1-in-10 exposed at that level develop occupational cancer.

 The proposed limit of 25 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) would “render fatal lung cancer in every tenth worker over a working-life exposure”, said the non-governmental chemical safety group ChemSec. It bases its conclusion on a dose-response curve used by the EC’s official European Chemical Agency (ECHA).
The proposed standard is considerably higher than those in place in a number of EC member states, including France (1μg/m3) and Sweden, Lithuania and Denmark (all 5μg/m3).
There is also a danger the standard could be cited as an alternative to compliance with the REACH chemical registration law, ChemSec warns. “The new chromium VI OEL could open up a possibility for companies to use this chemical without having to apply for authorisation,” it notes.
“No doubt some industry will try to use this argument in order to avoid having to apply for authorisation. However, looking at these proposed numbers and knowing the different scope of the two regulations it is crystal clear that workers protection legislation could not qualify as equivalent to REACH” so should not be allowed, said Theresa Kjell, a ChemSec policy adviser.
A number of the 13 new limits proposed by the European Commission are considered by unions to be inadequate. These include a 0.1mg/m3 limit for respirable silica. This is the UK’s current standard, but twice the 0.05mg/m3 standard being introduced in the US and four times Canada’s 0.025mg/m3 limit. In the EU, Finland, Italy and Portugal already have a silica standard at or below the 0.05mg/m3 US limit.
Steven Wodka, a leading US occupational disease lawyer, said he was concerned about the proposed limits for some of the other substances, citing the case of ortho-toluidine, a potent cause of bladder cancer.
- See more at: http://cancerhazards.org/?p=1701#sthash.6IuvbU4R.dpuf
http://cancerhazards.org/?p=1701



Volume 16, Issue 1 (June 1994)

Hexavalent Chromium in Portland Cement

CODEN: CCAOAD



PDF


Abstract
Due to increasing environmental and health-related concerns, the amount of hexavalent chromium found in portland cement is coming under increasing scrutiny. Hexavalent chromium has been classified as a carcinogen, and its release into the air or groundwater is regulated and controlled under many Federal and State regulations.
In addition to carcinogenic risks, soluble chromium has long been linked to chromate-sensitive contact dermatitis of workers exposed to wet cement or concrete. As a consequence, Scandinavian countries have limited the amount of hexavalent chromium allowed in portland cement. This is generally accomplished by intergrinding clinker and gypsum with the chemical reducing agent, ferrous sulfate, which maintains hexavalent chromium below 2 ppm. Developments in this area are reviewed.
Studies at a California cement plant showed that more than half of the hexavalent chromium in the cement was contributed by the grinding media in the finish mill. Attempts to reduce the chromium to its benign trivalent form with ferrous sulfate failed in full-scale trial grinds, due to oxidation of the ferrous iron. This indicates that further research is needed to find better methods for introducing ferrous sulfate into the cement or to develop more stable reducing agents.
Author Information:
Klemm, WA
Senior principal scientist, Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., Skokie, IL
https://www.astm.org/DIGITAL_LIBRARY/JOURNALS/CEMENT/PAGES/CCA10560J.htm
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