Air-Respirator Study Now Available

OBERLIN, Ohio — A peer-reviewed study on air-respirator exposure is now publicly available as an open-access publication.

The study, published last year in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, is based on air respirator exposure data voluntarily collected from Natural Stone Institute member companies and represents the largest known dataset of countertop fabrication exposure data to date.

“This study validates what responsible fabricators have been implementing for years,” said Jim Hieb, the NSI’s CEO. “When proper engineering controls are in place and dry cutting is eliminated, exposure risks can be significantly reduced. Making this research publicly accessible supports transparency and informed decision-making across the industry.”

The report was initially available by subscription only. Yale University has now funded open access, making the full study available to industry professionals, regulators, and the public.

The study reinforces key conclusions long supported through industry best practices and training initiatives. It confirms that dry cutting significantly increases exposure risk. Overall exposure data complements other published research showing proper engineering controls, including water delivery systems and ventilation, decreases that risk.

The findings also highlight an ongoing need for expanded medical surveillance data. In response, the NSI continues to advance collaborative research efforts.

Yale is currently in the final stages of a comprehensive medical surveillance study, which includes a review of available industry data to further strengthen understanding of worker health outcomes.

The full study can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.70020

The publication is also available within NSI’s Silica Safety Resources section at: www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/silica