Industrial Safety: The Use of Respirators

In dusty areas or areas with fumes, respirators must be worn. Fine asbestos dust is produced during the manufacture of asbestos products, or while these products are being used in the construction yards.

The nasal hairs in your nose wave back and forth from 8 to 12 times per second. Up to a certain extent, they help to filter the air you breathe in, blocking dirt and dust from getting into your lungs. They sweep the bacteria and other pollutants that enter the nose, with the mucus to the back of the nose where we swallow them. The bacteria are killed by the acid in the stomach. However, unfortunately, for asbestos dust, these hairs are simply not effective.

For this reason, people working with asbestos must wear respirators. Asbestos dust must be washed with water and never be blown with compressed air. The surgical masks used by medical doctors are to prevent the substances from the doctor’s nostril dropping on to the patient. They cannot prevent the asbestos dust, which can be less than 1 micron long, from going into the nostrils. The average diameter of the human hair is 50 microns. You need electrostatic respirators to capture particles which are less than a micron in diameter. Most of the respirators on the market are not able to do this. Find out from your safety officer.

The US employers made this mistake before and many of them are still paying compensation today, (2004). In the U.S., a privately funded, government-run USD 140 billion trust had been created to pay work-related asbestos claims and it is estimated that this amount of money will not be able to pay all the valid claims. Are there no work-related asbestos victims in Asia?

Old partition walls built in Singapore before asbestos materials were banned in 1989, must now be removed before any demolition can be done. And can only be done by Approved Asbestos-Removal Contractor (AARC). The contractors must ensure workers  are  aware of the dangers of and  they must know what precautions to take.  Asbestos dust can cause lung diseases especially lung cancer.

The new rules are in line with international practices. Those who do not comply with the regulations face a fine of up to S$20 000.00, two years jail, or both.

Japan was the only Asian country so far that came out openly with a documented record of the deadly carcinogen which caused mesothelioma, a cancer caused by carcinogen.

Please visit http://www.abcmesothelioma.com/ for more info.

During crushing of granite rocks, sand-blasting, removal of sand sticking to metal castings etc., fine particles of silica are produced.

The proper use of respirators with very fine filters, will prevent the silica and asbestos dust from going into the lungs, and the wood dust into the nostrils. The silica can cause fibrosis of the lungs and the asbestos dust can cause lung cancer, while the wood dust can cause nose cancer.

When woods are swan, it is advisable to require the carpenters and those exposed to this hazard to put on the correct respirators.