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Sand mines in Southeastern Massachusetts emit sand dust into neighborhoods, environment
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Sand dust is a known health hazard
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Residents seek protection
“All you breathe in is that dust. I have to shut off my air-conditioner so the dust doesn’t get in.” Carver, MA Resident 2024
“The sand sticks to our home, driveway, vehicles, vegetation and trees. It fills up the gutters on our house, so that if they are not cleaned on a regular basis they will collapse. When we go outside the sand sticks to our skin and lips. We cannot open our windows. We wash our cars almost daily but within a half hour they are covered with dust again. It is like being a prisoner in your own home.”
-Carver MA Resident, 2023
What is Respirable Crystalline Silica?
Silica dust is released into the air by a variety of operations during an earth removal operation such as those found in Southeastern Massachusetts. When a certain form of silica becomes air borne it is known as “Respirable Crystalline Silica.
Silica, formerly known as silicon dioxide, is a mineral composed of the elements silicon and oxygen, the two most abundant elements on the surface of the planet earth. The chemical formula for silica, or silicon dioxide, is SiO2
Crystalline silica occurs when silicon and oxygen combine in a three-dimensional repeating pattern that forms a crystal structure at the surface temperature of the earth. Crystalline silica is ubiquitous in every location around the globe.
Quartz is the most commonly known form of crystalline silica. In this form it is the crystalline structure of silica that is most stable at earth’s surface temperatures. Quartz is the second most common mineral in the world. Quartz is found on every continent, and all soils contain at least trace amounts of quartz. Because quartz is so stable it is a major component of sand, including the sand that makes up the Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer.
Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) refers to tiny airborne particles of crystalline silica, less than 4 microns in size, or particulate matter 4 (PM4). These particles are generally 100 times smaller than an average grain of sand. RSC is also known as silica dust or quartz dust.
What are the hazards of Respirable Crystalline Silica?
Exposure to silica dust results in adverse health effects and increases risk of death.
Respirable crystalline silica has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization, as carcinogenic to humans.
Other Extreme Adverse Health Effects of Silica Dust Exposure include:
- Acute Silicosis
- Accelerated Silicosis
- Chronic Silicosis
- Nonmalignant Respiratory Diseases: Emphysema, chronic bronchitis
- Lung Cancer
- Kidney Disease
How is sand dust regulated?
Silica dust is regulated as a carcinogen by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) as a hazardous substance under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Businesses that use materials containing 0.1% or more crystalline silica must follow Federal Guidelines concerning hazard communication and worker training.
For workers, OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) is an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) of 50 ug/m3.
In 2024, the US Department of Labor issued a Final Rule reducing silica dust exposure, better protecting miners’ health from irreversible workplace illnesses
The final rule lowers the permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for a full-shift exposure, calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average. If a worker’s exposure exceeds the limit, the Final Rule requires mine operators to take immediate corrective actions to come into compliance.
In addition to reducing worker exposure limits, the Final Rule:
- Requires mine operators to use engineering controls to prevent miners’ overexposures to silica dust and use dust samplings and environmental evaluations to monitor exposures.
- Compels metal and nonmetal mine operators to establish medical surveillance programs to provide periodic health examinations at no cost to miners. The exams are similar to the medical surveillance programs available to coal miners under existing standards.
- Replaces an outdated standard for respiratory protection with a new standard reflecting the latest advances in respiratory protection and practices. This update will better protect miners against airborne hazards, including silica dust, diesel particulate matter, asbestos and other contaminants.
What industries create silica dust?
Industries such as construction, manufacturing and mining create silica dust.
Silica dust is released through a variety of mining operations. Emissions may occur during earth removal activities including:
- Excavating
- Hauling materials that contain silica
- Crushing rocks
- Stone Cutting
- Rock drilling
- Quarry work
- Tunneling
There are various industries where workers can have jobs at risk for RCS exposure such as construction and mining.
Why is Silica being mined in Southeastern Massachusetts?
Silica is an indispensable part of the industrial and technological worlds. Much of the sand and gravel mined in Southeastern Massachusetts supplies concrete and asphalt industies. Building materials, such as cement, concrete, sandstone and granite, all need quartz. Quartz is also used as a filler in plastics, rubber and paint. Quartz is also used to filter sediment and bacteria in water supplies and sewage treatment.
The element silicon is known as a semiconductor, acting as an electrical conductor when hot and an insulator when cold, making it ideal for electronic applications. The pure silicon needed to make computer chips is mined from quartz sand.
Why Aren’t Residents Protected from Emissions?
Sand mining in Massachusetts is not adequately regulated. Local governments give out mining permits but do not ensure compliance with dust control measures to protect residents and neighbors. Local boards of health and earth removal permitting board are responsible for preventing emissions of sand dust from sand mining sites.
What can residents do to protect themselves from sand dust?
Residents can demand protections. The sand dust should not leave the mining site. This means the owner and operator have to stop the sand at its source. Sand piles should be covered at all times. Mines must cover any open areas immediately using vegetation or mats. Trucks should not leave a trail of sand dust when they pull on to the road. Trucks must be securely covered while traveling. Roads within the sand mine site must be watered or vegetated to prevent sand dust from being emitted into the environment and neighborhoods.
To monitor sand emissions from the site and its impacts, these measure can be used:
- Continuous air monitoring by an independent third party with results reported in real time to residents and regulators.
- Written mitigation plan for airborne dust to be implemented immediately.
- Civil penalties or criminal fines for emissions of sand dust from a mining site.
- Victims Fund: People exposed to silica sand who suffer any impacts from silicosis should receive medical monitoring and coverage of medical costs for COPD and other impacts of silica dust pollution.
- Compliance with MSHA Final Rule on silica and monitor at the perimeter of the earth removal site.
Take action on sand mines: help stop dust, noise, vibrations
Across Southeastern Massachusetts, open pit sand mines create air pollution, excessive noise, and make homes shake.
Contact your town and the State to report sand dust, noise, vibration and truck traffic
Town complaints
Download a complaint form here or report it online and send it to your Town.
State Department of Environmental Protection complaints
Massachusetts Environmental Police using this form or call dispatch at (800) 632-8075.
Call and leave a message at the MassDEP Southeast Regional Office Bureau of Air and Waste, New Source Review, Mark Poudrier (617) 634-2009
What to report
Report the date, what you saw, where you live.
Report where the sand is coming from and who owns the mine. Where is the sand coming from? Who owns the sand mine
Keep a copy for your records!
For more information, check out our blog: Sand Mining and Sand Dust: Potential health impacts for people living next to sand mines in Southeastern MA
Other ways to take action!
Keep up to date and attend meetings and hearings
Donate
Follow us on social media
Below: Sign next to the Maki Sand Mine on Meadow Street in Carver. Sand has been blowing into the neighborhood and covering cars and homes for years. Residents cannot open their windows or enjoy their yards. 
References
Mine Safety & Health Administration, United States Department of Labor, Fact Sheet: Final Rule
Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection
https://www.msha.gov/regulations/rulemaking/silica
