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> Fortunately it was a granite countertop and not quartz. Granites are primarily composed of feldspar and quartz, which are both primarily composed of silica.
by trobertson 3y ago
> Fortunately it was a granite countertop and not quartz.
Granites are primarily composed of feldspar and quartz, which are both primarily composed of silica. Silica is the thing that causes silicosis, and when that granite was cut it was clouds of silica dust that covered your home.
You were no more safe in that granite dust than you would have been in quartz dust.
- jader201 3y agoDo you have a source? Everything I’m reading [1] says that granite contains 10-45% silica, compared to quartz containing 90%+. [1] https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3768.pdf https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA37...
- thehappypm 3y agoThose are pretty much equivalent health-wise. The poison cloud is half as dense, but still a poison cloud.
- jader201 3y agoNot sure I agree/understand, but it seems like if I’m inhaling 2x the poison over the same amount of time, that has exactly 2x the impact/risk on your health. This isn’t the same as something like a virus, where it’s more binary. To be clear, I’m not arguing to prove I’m right (because I’m certainly not an expert and am open to being wrong), I’m trying to understand more about how particle inhalation can have varying risks (or not) based on density.
- mhb 3y agoTFA article says the stuff gets in your lungs and stays there. Are you trying to figure out whether you should wear protection for x% silica containing materials? Seems like a fool's errand.
- jader201 3y agoNot at all, I actually wear a mask when just sweeping the garage. :) I certainly think there should be regulation requiring masks in industries like this — and I will definitely wear a mask the next time I’m around any sort of countertop dust. I’m mostly just curious about the science, and whether/why it is more binary than I’m understanding, vs. just taking some random HN strangers’ words.
- thehappypm 3y agoBasically the point is—a poison cloud is a bad thing to expose yourself to!
- readyplayernull 3y agoSilica particles won't disolve in water, it's like breathing broken glass, and that's the main problem not limited to silica, but breathing ANY particle that harms your organs.
- creato 3y agoLots of things don’t dissolve in water but are still effectively contained by water. That said, I wonder what happens to the water being used for this purpose. If it isn’t treated/disposed of somehow, I could see it evaporating and allowing the dust to become airborne again. If this is in a permanent shop environment, it might explain the apparent lack of effectiveness of this solution.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]