Respirable dust and crystalline silica exposure among rice mill workers of northeast India

Crystalline silica is a Group I lung carcinogen primarily known as a causative agent for silicosis. A study was performed to quantify respirable dust, and respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in the rice mills of northeast India. Seventy-two respirable dust samples were collected from the worker's breathing zone from four rice mills at three locations: feeding, sieving, and polishing sections for two paddy varieties: Ranjit and Sali. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), method #7602, was used to determine RCS. The results show that geometric mean TWA dust and RCS emissions in the rice mills varied from 3.97 to 455.00 mg/m