Cement Dust

[Stargazer]

Is it harmful to breathe in cement dust?

[ummmm]

According to my OH yes, it is.

[ivor4781]

not as bad as asbestos but i would always use a good face mask when and thing gives of fine particles like cement etc

[mikey4444]

I would have thought that it was advisable not to breath in any kind of dust.

[ivor4781]

mikey we breathe in vast mounts of dust daily outside or sitting at home but its not harmful just look at a sun ray coming through your window youll see the dust in the air but harmless, things like cement has lots of silica in and harmful over long exposure and of course asbestos is well know for danger i lost my brother to that.

[mikey4444]

Ivor...I perhaps was a trifle light-hearted in my reply...commiserations to you for the loss of your brother.

[ivor4781]

thankyou mikey

[TWR]

Very bad for you chest. ( Ex Cement Driver )

[Buenchico]

There used to be a major cement plant just a few miles from where I live. The dust levels were high enough that people in the area used to complain that they couldn't put their washing on the line for an hour without it getting covered in cement. However, while cement dust is clearly a potential irritant to the lungs, I'm unaware of anyone ever linking any serious long-term health issues in the area to the presence of the plant.

Scientific studies have shown that there might be an elevated risk of lung cancer among people who work for long periods within the cement manufacturing industry, as well as a higher risk of problems associated with asthma. (See the tables at the end of this document: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web/portlandcement.pdf ). However there would seem to be little (if anything at all) to suggest that there are any risks to people occasionally using cement elsewhere.