Crystalline silica is found in common materials like concrete, asphalt, and stone, becoming a hazard when activities like milling or crushing fracture them. This creates respirable silica dust, microscopic particles small enough to penetrate lung defenses and cause severe, often fatal, health issues. These complications include silicosis (an incurable lung disease), lung cancer, COPD, and kidney disease. Controlling this dust is crucial because even when they can’t be seen with the naked eye, respirable dust poses a serious threat.

OSHA’s Silica Rule, implemented in 2017 for construction and June 2018 for General Industry, drastically reduced the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). The new PEL for respirable crystalline silica dust is 50 μg/m3, which is five times lower than previous standards. To put this into perspective, having more dust than will cover Abraham Lincoln’s forehead on a penny in a 10 foot by 10 foot room puts you over the limit. Compliance requires either regular exposure testing or implementing specific controls outlined in OSHA’s standard.

NeSilex easily integrates into your existing water tank systems. To use, first fill the tank ¼ full with water, then add NeSilex at the recommended 1000:1 dilution ratio. Next, fill the rest of the tank with water to ensure proper mixture, repeating this for each refill. While 1000:1 is recommended, testing shows up to 100% reduction in silica levels at a 400:1 dilution for certain activities, along with visual dust reduction.

NeSilex significantly reduces worker exposure to silica dust in real-world construction applications. It is effective for activities that fracture aggregate or rock, such as milling, concrete cutting, demolition, sawing, and sweeping. NeSilex can also be used in the crushing and transporting of asphalt, concrete, and rock. It is an ideal solution for most existing equipment that already has an integrated water spray-down system, like milling machines and sweepers. We also offer NeSilex Blue for shop floor dust control. Spraying NeSilex Blue over settled silica dust binds it to water, allowing you to easily clean up the mess without the risk of particles releasing into the air.

NeSilex is highly effective, demonstrating up to 100% reduction in respirable silica when added to water for dust suppression in some activities. This significant reduction occurs even at a 400:1 dilution rate for certain construction tasks. NeSilex chemically transforms water, allowing it to effectively encapsulate and drop hazardous respirable particles before they become airborne. This also reduces the amount of water needed for effective dust control, saving time, water, and your workers.

Yes, NeSilex helps meet and exceed OSHA regulations for silica dust control by supporting compliance with OSHA standards. It functions as a superior engineering control by actively suppressing dust at its source. Using NeSilex can significantly reduce employee exposure to dust from construction activities, potentially exempting contractors from employee exposure testing. This proactive approach also helps avoid substantial OSHA violation fines, which can range from $12,500 to $127,000.

OSHA ranks engineering controls like NeSilex highest for protection because they remove dust at its source, unlike respirators (PPE) which are a last resort. Respirators do not actively control dust and are often unreliable due to issues like difficult “fit testing,” facial hair, or improper use, with many having filters ineffective against silica dust. Enforcing consistent respirator use is a significant challenge, and extended use (over 30 days/year) necessitates costly medical surveillance for employers. NeSilex provides a simpler, more effective solution by preventing respirable dust from becoming airborne entirely, reducing reliance on less dependable PPE.