Analysis Service for the Determination of
Respirable Crystalline SilicaBecause of the potential health hazard of the crystalline forms of silica in the industrial environment, federal regulations require monitoring the presence of silica forms in the workplace atmospheres and marketed products. The inhalation of dust as a primary cause of pulmonary disease has been a problem in the mining industry since antiquity. The most important form of pneumoconiosis is silicosis which could affect workers in many industries as well as in the mines. The cause of silicosis is primarily inhaled particles of crystalline silicon dioxide, SiO2, most commonly quartz which is a ubiquitous mineral in nature.
powder diffraction is one of the most sensitive methods for the analysis of crystalline forms of silica. In addition to detection and quantification, it can determine the specific crystalline species in the sample. The X-ray diffraction patterns of quartz and cristobalite are distinct from each other and from other minerals with which they may be associated, so X-ray diffraction methods are appropriate techniques for their detection, identification and quantification. Analytical Method for the Determination of Crystalline Silica
X-rayStandardized Procedures
As is necessary in any good routine type analysis, especially where the results may have legal implications, it is necessary to establish standard procedures for collecting and processing the samples. The procedures for the determination of respirable crystalline silica are primarily designed by governmental safety and health agencies to meet the requirements of federal health regulations. In the United States, the principal organizations are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH.
In addition to the procedures for determining quartz and cristobalite in respirable samples, there are several procedures for quantifying the levels of these minerals in bulk samples. These procedures are necessary because of the requirement that hazard labels be applied to any product that contains 0.1 weight percent crystalline silica.Analysis Services Provided by CAMET Research, Inc.
CAMET Research, Inc. is an independent materials characterization laboratory, which has been providing X-ray analysis services since 1984. We detect and quantify Respirable Crystalline Silica according to NIOSH Method 7500, OSHA/SLC ID-142 July 1989 or any other reported method as well as to customer specific analysis instructions. Calibration standards from NIST/OSRD (Respirable Alpha Quartz, SRM-1878a; Respirable Cristobalite, SRM-1879a) and from NIOSH (Tridymite, TY-27; Cristobalite, CB-25) are employed to warrant accordance to standard methods and to verify the quality of our work.
CAMET Research, Inc. - 6409 Camino Vista #F, Goleta, California 93117 - Tel. (805) 685-1665 - Fax (805) 685-9082 - E-mail: camet@camet-lab.com