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U.S. SILICA COMPANY <br />Safety Data Sheet <br />Silica Sand or Ground Silica Page 5 of 9 <br />Date of preparation/revision: May 4, 2015 <br />10. STABILITY AND REACTIVITY <br /> <br />Reactivity: Not reactive under normal conditions of use. <br />Chemical stability: Stable <br />Possibility of hazardous reactions: Contact with powerful oxidizing agents, such as fluorine, chlorine <br />trifluoride and oxygen difluoride, may cause fires. <br />Conditions to avoid: Avoid generation of dust in handling and use. <br />Incompatible materials: Powerful oxidizers such as fluorine, chlorine trifluoride, and oxygen difluoride and <br />hydrofluoric acid. <br />Hazardous decomposition products: Silica will dissolve in hydrofluoric acid and produce a corrosive <br />gas, silicon tetrafluoride. <br /> <br />11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION <br /> <br />Acute effects of exposure: <br />Inhalation: Inhalation of dust may cause respiratory tract irritation. Symptoms of exposure may include <br />cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, wheezing and shortness of breath. <br />Ingestion: Ingestion in an unlikely route of exposure. If dust is swallowed, it may irritate the mouth and throat. <br />Skin contact: No adverse effects are expected. <br />Eye contact: Particulates may cause abrasive injury. <br /> <br />Chronic effects: Prolonged inhalation of respirable crystalline silica may cause lung disease, silicosis, lung <br />cancer and other effects as indicated below. <br /> <br />The method of exposure that can lead to the adverse health effects described below is inhalation. <br /> <br />A. SILICOSIS <br />Silicosis can exist in several forms, chronic (or ordinary), accelerated, or acute: <br /> <br />Chronic or Ordinary Silicosis is the most common form of silicosis, and can occur after many years (10 to <br />20 or more) of prolonged repeated inhalation of relatively low levels of airborne respirable crystalline silica <br />dust. It is further defined as either simple or complicated silicosis. Simple silicosis is characterized by lung <br />lesions (shown as radiographic opacities) less than 1 centimeter in diameter, primarily in the upper lung <br />zones. Often, simple silicosis is not associated with symptoms, detectable changes in lung function or disability. <br />Simple silicosis may be progressive and may develop into complicated silicosis or progressive massive fibrosis <br />(PMF). Complicated silicosis or PMF is characterized by lung lesions (shown as radiographic opacities) greater <br />than 1 centimeter in diameter. Complicated silicosis or PMF symptoms, if present, are shortness of breath and <br />cough. Complicated silicosis or PMF may be associated with decreased lung function and may be disabling. <br />Advanced complicated silicosis or PMF may lead to death. Advanced complicated silicosis or PMF can result in <br />heart disease secondary to the lung disease (cor pumonale). <br /> <br />Accelerated Silicosis can occur with prolonged repeated inhalation of high concentrations of respirable <br />crystalline silica over a relatively short period; the lung lesions can appear within five (5) years of initial <br />exposure. Progression can be rapid. Accelerated silicosis is similar to chronic or ordinary silicosis, except <br />that lung lesions appear earlier and progression is more rapid. <br /> <br />Acute Silicosis can occur after the repeated inhalation of very high concentrations of respirable crystalline silica <br />over a short time period, sometimes as short as a few months. The symptoms of acute silicosis include <br />progressive shortness of breath, fever, cough, weakness and weight loss. Acute silicosis is fatal. <br /> <br />