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Workplace Dust: Does your lab meet the standards?

Date: 14-03-2022
Air Filtration



With dust-related illnesses still very present across a range of industries in Australia, it’s important to know exactly how and where you can minimise risk when using potentially toxic materials in your laboratory. 

Vaniman Manufacturing Co. is a dental equipment manufacturer in San Diego, California. They build dust collection machines and accessories,  as well as filtration devices, and have done so for 35 years. Vaniman have filtration and collection solutions for all stages of dust creation in a dental lab, and there are a range of commonly used dental materials that produce dust, of which some are toxic and some are not. 

Crystalline Silica

Crystalline silica is the most toxic commonly used dental material, and it is mostly found in porcelain (14-18%), pumice (~70%) and gypsum (<0.1%). Silicosis is a disease caused by silica dust consumption. It’s a form of occupational lung disease marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. Silicosis is a permanent disease with no known cure, and obviously the best prevention is to avoid consumption. 

Regulations of silica exposure

According to the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) the PEL (Permissible Exposure Levels) for silica in Australia is 25 micrograms/m^3 over an eight-hour period, as of 2017. Before 2017 the PEL for silica in Australia was 100 micrograms/m^3.

As a result of Australia’s findings and the change in their regulation, the US has changed their PEL to 50 micrograms/m^3. 

It doesn’t take much to get exposed to silica dust in a dental lab, and a CDC report of Deaths from Silicosis from 1990-2000 highlights the importance of managing exposure. Three of the deaths were men in their 60s working in dental labs. All of them had been exposed to silica dust regularly for more than 20 years. 

A factor compounding this issue is that sufferers often don’t realise or acknowledge the symptoms. One man died only three days after being admitted to hospital with progressive confusion, and had worked for 28 years in a dental laboratory, performing sandblasting and reportedly never wore a respirator. 

Zirconia/zirconium oxide/yttrium oxide

Zirconia has been used in dentistry for over 40 years, however its use has increased with the creation of milling machines. Currently there is not enough evidence to determine the long term effects of zirconia exposure. There are no signs to indicate cancer, or any long term respiratory or reproductive issues. 

Regulations of zirconia exposure

The PEL for zirconia is 5mg/m^3 over an eight-hour period. The PEL in the US was determined in 1989 and has not been updated since. Because of the lack of research in the area, lab workers often don’t take appropriate care when working with the material. Using tobacco as an example, doctors used to recommend smoking before research indicated how damaging it is on the human body. Without updated research, there’s no way to determine a safe PEL for zirconia. 

Is your lab compliant?

Improving the safety of your dental lab with regards to dust means addressing three main areas: source capturing, air filtration, and proper filtration as a whole. 

Source capturing

Procedures such as sandblasting, model trimming, cut and cleaning, grinding acrylic, models, 3D prints and more require source capturing. For each dust-creating device it is important to have the correct accessory for the job, as well as adequate plumbing.

For capturing accessories there are two routes, and the first is putting it in an enclosure. The Vaniman Cut & Clean Cabinet is designed so that when you take the zirconia block out of the mill, you can put it in the box where there is an air blast nozzle, and you can then cut the restorations out. This all happens in a sealed box that has a negative pressure inside it.

The second option for source capturing is using downdraft, which includes dust ports that are useful in a more exposed environment. 

Plumbing is an important factor for source capturing, particularly when you have multiple stations set up. Vaniman actually offers a service where they view your lab and provide a free plumbing recommendation.

Air filtration 

Working alongside a source capturing system should always be good quality air filtration. Vaniman’s Pure Breeze is a fume hood designed for this exact purpose. A device like this would typically be positioned over or near the working/grinding area and can be run non-stop. It is capable of “scrubbing” the air of a 300m^3 room 4-5 times an hour. 

Proper filtration

High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) filtration is the final piece of a dust-safe lab. This deals with really small particulates. Vaniman provides HEPA dust collectors for milling applications and general dust. They also provide a Cyclone Pre-Filter, that mechanically separates the dust or heavy particulate, which then drops into an accumulator bucket down the bottom while clean air exits out the top. They are about 95% efficient in general, and about 93% efficient with zirconia. 

While it’s important to have a filter on the intake, it’s also important to filter the air coming out, which Vaniman provides solutions for. 

Finally, wearing a mask is cheap and effective for general filtration, and while it isn’t required in a lot of labs it can make a difference in the long term. 

For more information about Vaniman’s range of dust collection and air filtration solutions or to view their range of products visit dentalbrandsaustralia.com.au 

 

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