Union statements in 2013 noted it 16 years had passed since the US federal workplace safety officials began developing a rule to control and limit workers’ exposure to silica dust, in a country where more than 7,000 workers develop silicosis and 200 die each year and others develop silica-related lung cancer and other conditions. Workers are still waiting for a safer exposure standard.

AFL-CIO Now blog. USW news release and statement from silicosis sufferer Alan White. OSHA statement  and information on the proposed standard. American Thoracic Society statement. National COSH network statement. The Pump Handle. Working in These Times. Risks 620.