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6 Exposure to quartz in coal and in pulverized fuel ash
Quartz is of interest because it can have an adverse effect on human health, if inhaled, such as “black lung” or more precisely pneumoconiosis or silicosis. Especially the malignant condition progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) is serious. In relation to the development of silicoses the following limiting conditions have to be fulfilled: The particulate material containing the quartz must be respirable (i.e. sufficiently fine that it is able to penetrate deep into the lungs). The surface of the material is also very important, since it is believed that surface radicals act as the trigger. Surface radicals are found mainly on freshly created surfaces and their formation can be inhibited by weathering/ageing and by the presence of other substances, such as aluminum and some forms of iron. As well as causing silicosis, it is recently known that quartz is a human carcinogen at concentrations above a certain threshold. Since quartz is found in coal and pulverized fuel ash, it is important to know the concentrations in which it is present and whether its presence can cause fibrosis.
KEMA-report 50030086-KPS/MEC 00-6046.
External reviewer:
Mrs. Ir. E.I.M. Tjoe Nij, research assistant at the University of Utrecht, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division Environmental & Occupational Health, exposure Assessment group
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