The SILIFE project disseminates its progress in Poland, in the framework of the International Conference: Energy, Environment and Material Systems- EEMS 2017

The SILIFE project disseminates its progress in Poland, in the framework of the International Conference:

Energy, Environment and Material Systems- EEMS 2017

The SILIFE project has announced its progress at the International Conference: Energy, Environment and Material Systems- EEMS 2017, held in Polanica-Zdrój (Poland) from 13 to 15 September 2017.

This time it was an oral presentation entitled: “Additives for reducing the toxicity of crystalline silica. SILIFE project “, by the authors: E. Monfort, A. López-Lilao, A. Escrig, M. J. Ibáñez, G. Bonvicini, O. Creutzenberg, C. Ziemann.

It should be noted that SILIFE, the main objective of which is to produce commercial quartz powders with very low or no SCR toxicity, was introduced in a country, Poland, which has a significant population of workers potentially exposed to respirable crystalline silica, and where, according to the European Commission reports, are applied the highest SCR occupational exposure limits in Europe. Nevertheless, some recent studies (Maciejewska, 2008) estimate that more than 50 000 workers may be exposed to levels above this limits.

The proposal to amend the directive to create a European level limit of 0.1 mg/m3 – which means a 10-fold reduction in the current value – can have a major economic-social impact on Poland, according to the scientific community.

In this regard, the SILIFE project continues to make progress towards safer working environments. To achieve this, a pilot plant is being designed to treat commercial quartz powders. The treated quartz produced in it must be verified by industrial tests to be carried out by several end-users from different industrial sectors.

 

The proposal to amend the directive to create a European level limit of 0.1 mg/m3 – which means a 10-fold reduction in the current value – can have a major impact on Poland, according to the scientific community.

In this regard, the SILIFE project continues to make progress towards safer working environments. To achieve this, a pilot plant is being designed to treat commercial quartz powders. The treated quartz produced in it must be verified by industrial tests to be carried out by several end-users from different industrial sectors.

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El proyecto SILIFE divulga sus avances en Polonia, en el marco de la International Conference: Energy, Environment and Material Systems- EEMS 2017

El proyecto SILIFE ha divulgado sus avances en la International Conference: Energy, Environment and Material Systems- EEMS 2017 que se celebró en Polanica-Zdrój (Polonia) del 13 al 15 de septiembre de 2017.

Se trató en esta ocasión de una comunicación oral titulada: “Additives for reducing the toxicity of crystalline silica. SILIFE project.”, a cargo de los autores: E. Monfort, A. López-Lilao, A. Escrig, M. J. Ibáñez, G. Bonvicini, O. Creutzenberg, C. Ziemann.

 

Cabe destacar que SILIFE, cuyo principal objetivo consiste en producir polvos de cuarzo comercial que presenten una toxicidad por SCR muy baja o nula, se presentó en un país, Polonia, que posee una población muy elevada de trabajadores potencialmente expuestos a la sílice cristalina respirable, y en donde, según los propios informes de la Comisión Europea, se aplican unos límites de exposición profesional para SCR de los más elevados de Europa. Aun así, algunos estudios recientes (Maciejewska, 2008) estiman en más 50 000 el número de trabajadores que puede estar expuestos a niveles superiores a estos límites.

 

La propuesta de modificar la Directiva para crear un límite a nivel europeo de 0.1 mg/m3 – lo que significa reducir 10 veces el valor actual- puede tener un gran impacto económico-social en Polonia, según cree la comunidad científica.

 

En este sentido, el proyecto SILIFE sigue avanzando para lograr entornos laborales más seguros. Para conseguirlo, se está diseñando una planta piloto dedicada al tratamiento de polvos comerciales de cuarzo. El cuarzo tratado que se produzca en ella deberá ser verificado mediante pruebas industriales que se llevarán a cabo por varios usuarios finales procedentes de diferentes sectores industriales.