OSHA's Proposed Silica Limits Take Industry Fire

By Peter Mantius, Northern Bureau ChiefProposed new federal limits on silica dust exposure for workers have drawn strong criticism in testimony in recent days from a host of construction and mining interests. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants to cut in half its 40-year-old permissible limit for airborne crystalline silica. The fine dust can cause lung cancer, silicosis, asthma and other respiratory and kidney problems.Several dozen business and industry groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute, testified against the cha...