SDS

06/01/2015 Marble – Page 5 of 7
Eye Contact:
Dust particles can scratch the eye causing tearing, redness, a stinging or burning feeling, or swelling of the eyes with
blurred vision.
Skin Contact:
Dust particles can scratch and irritate the skin with redness, an itching or burning feeling, swelling of the skin, and/or
rash.
Ingestion:
Expected to be practically non-toxic. Ingestion of large amounts may cause gastrointestinal irritation including nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, and blockage.
Medical Conditions Aggravated by Exposure:
Irritated or broken skin increases chance of contact dermatitis. Pre-existing medical conditions that may be aggravated
by exposure include disorders of the eye, skin and lung (including asthma and other breathing disorders). Smoking
tobacco will impair the ability of the lungs to clear themselves of dust.
Delayed and immediate effects and also chronic effects from short- and long-term exposure:
Prolonged overexposure to respirable dusts in excess of allowable exposure limits can cause inflammation of the lungs
leading to possible fibrotic changes, a medical condition known as pneumoconiosis.
Prolonged and repeated inhalation of respirable crystalline silica-containing dust in excess of allowable exposure limits
may cause a chronic form of silicosis, an incurable lung disease that may result in permanent lung damage or death.
Chronic silicosis generally occurs after 10 years or more of overexposure; a more accelerated type of silicosis may occur
between 5 and 10 years of higher levels of exposure. In early stages of silicosis, not all individuals will exhibit symptoms
(signs) of the disease. However, silicosis can be progressive, and symptoms can appear at any time, even years after
exposure has ceased.
Repeated overexposures to very high levels of respirable crystalline silica for periods as short as six months may cause
acute silicosis. Acute silicosis is a rapidly progressive, incurable lung disease that is typically fatal. Symptoms include
(but are not limited to): shortness of breath, cough, fever, weight loss, and chest pain.
Respirable dust containing newly broken silica particles has been shown to be more hazardous to animals in laboratory
tests than respirable dust containing older silica particles of similar size. Respirable silica particles which had aged for
sixty days or more showed less lung injury in animals than equal exposures of respirable dust containing newly broken
particles of silica.
There are reports in the literature suggesting that excessive crystalline silica exposure may be associated with
autoimmune disorders and other adverse health effects involving the kidney. In particular, the incidence of scleroderma
(thickening of the skin caused by swelling and thickening of fibrous tissue) appears to be higher in silicotic individuals.
To date, the evidence does not conclusively determine a causal relationship between silica exposure and these adverse
health effects.
Carcinogenicity:
Epidemiology studies on the association between crystalline silica exposure and lung cancer have had both positive and
negative results. There is some speculation that the source and type of crystalline silica may play a role. Studies of
persons with silicosis indicate an increased risk of developing lung cancer, a risk that increases with the level and
duration of exposure. It is not clear whether lung cancer develops in non-silicotic patients. Several studies of silicotics
do not account for lung cancer confounders, especially smoking, which have been shown to increase the risk of
developing lung disorders, including emphysema and lung cancer.
In October 1996, an IARC Working Group designated respirable crystalline silica as carcinogenic (Group 1). In 2012, an
IARC Working Group re-affirmed that inhalation of crystalline silica was a known human carcinogen. The NTP's Report
on Carcinogens, 9th edition, lists respirable crystalline silica as a "known human carcinogen." In the year 2000, the
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) listed respirable crystalline silica (quartz) as a
suspected human carcinogen (A-2). These classifications are based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in certain
experimental animals and on selected epidemiological studies of workers exposed to crystalline silica.
Additional information on toxicological-effects:
Acute toxicity: Not classified
No specific data on product. Limestone (calcium carbonate CAS# 471-34-1) has oral LD50 (rats) = 6450 mg/kg.)
Skin corrosion/irritation: Not classified