| Each hydraulic fracturing well uses up to 5,000 tons of silica-containing sand, or proppant, during its operational lifetime. Over one million wells are currently in operation across the continental United States. The resulting increase in demand resulted in the production of 54 million metric tons of sand for use as hydraulic fracturing proppant in 2015.;The goal of this study was to determine the relative risk of occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica to workers performing tasks associated with mining, processing, and transport of proppant. Sand samples were aerosolized in an enclosed chamber. Bulk and respirable samples were submitted to a commercial lab for silica analysis. A risk ratio was calculated by comparing respirable dust concentrations to the current occupational safety regulations.;Raw sand produced higher concentrations of respirable dust and a higher risk ratio (3.2), while processed dust contained higher percentages of respirable crystalline silica but a lower risk ratio (0.5). When vibration was introduced prior to aerosolization, concentrations tended to increase as vibration times increased, resulting in an increase of the associated risk ratio (2.3). Results of the study indicate that workers in sand mines and workers exposed to proppant that has undergone low-frequency vibration are at increased risk of exposure to respirable crystalline silica compared to workers who are exposed to proppant that has not undergone vibration. |
