Silica Sand

[Jon]

What is silica sand used for? I have 4 25kg bags that were left at my house by the previous owners.

[RRW]

Sandblasting, kids sandbox, brushing into cracks in asphalt before overcoating, ingredient of concrete.

J> What is silica sand used for? I have 4 25kg bags that were left at my house

[Speedy Jim]

Sand blasting.

Do a GOOGLE for "silicosis" and then decide what to do with it.

Jim

[Randy Day]

Adding to what everyone else has suggested, some grades are used to decorate aquariums. Granted, 100kgs seems a bit much for that...

[John Keiser]

Swimming pool sand filter?

[DanG]

Making your own glass.

[Shopdog]

NEVER NEVER use Silica sand for sand blasting, you'll just DIE!!!!! After flailing around for awhile due to lack of air!

Searcher

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

don't breath the dust.....serious health hazard associated with silica dusts. Cheers, cc

[Richard J Kinch]

Better stay away from the beach, then.

[Stormin Mormon]

Some proof? Website or reference for your claim?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Ever try Google? 180,000 hits on "silica sand danger"

is the most abundant constituent of the world s minerals and rocks. It occurs in two forms, free and combined. The

combined forms, or silicates, do not usually present any serious hazard to health. On the other hand free silica, or silicon

dioxide, does present a health hazard and is the subject of this booklet. It is the common constituent of quartz, granite,

sandstone, sand, flintstone and slate.

Prolonged inhalation of high concentration of dust containing free silica will cause the lung disease known as silicosis. This disease is serious and may lead to a permanent incapacity for work in the affected person; it may also be associated with an increased danger of contracting tuberculosis, or aggravating tuberculosis already present.

Do not use disposable dust masks if the dust has any silica. Disposable masks do not protect you from silica. They do not form a snug seal with your face.

? For abrasive blasting, replace silica sand with safer materials. The U.S. government's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says do not use sand or any abrasive with more than 1% crystalline silica in it. Specular hematite, crushed glass, some slags, or steel grit and shot may be good substitutes. (Use of some slags and steel grit may increase worker exposures to some toxic metals.)

[Richard J Kinch]

Stay away from the beach, or don't breathe if you go there. And anywhere coastal in Florida. Carpeted with silica.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Carpeting the beach is a little different that blasting it against a hard surface with 100 psi of air though, creating fine dust.

[hallerb]

besides the water is dangerous too!!!!!!!

[Richard J Kinch]

Tens of thousands of square miles of silica sand being ground upon itself by wind and wave. Yes, a little different indeed.

Beach sand started out as big rocks. Ever wonder why it is roughly uniform in grain size?

[Goedjn]

They're sorted by nereids.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Glad you got my point. The water washing away any dust is much different than airborne very fine silica. It is not skin contact that is the problem, it is the very (extremely?) fine particles that get into your lungs that cause the problem. You get that with blasting, but not in a water bath that takes it away.

See, I knew we'd agree on this. Ed