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by kragen 732 days ago
especially sand; crystalline silica is a known carcinogen (iarc group 1, the most severe classification)

(when inhaled)
1 comments
lazide 732 days ago
Generally only when in a very fine powdered crystalline form, though, and only when exposed persistently at a moderate level.

High short term exposure apparently isn’t a cancer risk (but is a ‘you’ll be miserable and have a hard time breathing’ risk), and low grade exposure below a threshold is also apparently fine.

And just sand itself (except for certain specific rare types) is also apparently fine.

Weird eh?

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kragen 732 days ago
well, it depends on what you do with the sand; things like sandblasting or desert sandstorms liberate plenty of the very fine powdered crystalline form that is the concern

your points about high short-term exposure and long-term low-grade exposure are well taken, and may also apply to phthalates, since humans evolved in an environment with many sources of phthalates, such as coconuts, poppy seeds, grapes, and kidney beans. see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8310026/ and https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Phthalic-acid#sect...

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