Calcium silicate

Synonyms

CS lafarge; Calcium hydrosilicate; Calcium metasilicate; Calcium monosilicate; Calcium polysilicate; Calcium silicate; Calcium silicate, synthetic nonfibrous; Calflo E; Calsil; Florite R; Marimet 45; Micro-cel; Micro-cel A; Micro-cel B; Micro-cel C; Micro-cel E; Micro-cel T; Micro-cel T26; Micro-cel T38; Micro-cel T41; Microcal 160; Microcal ET; Promaxon P60; SW 400; Silene EF; Silicic acid, calcium salt; Silmos T; Solex; Stabinex NW 7PS; Starlex L; [ChemIDplus] Wollastonite; [ACGIH]

Category

Metals, Inorganic Compounds

Description

White or cream-colored, free-flowing powder; Note: The commercial product is prepared from diatomaceous earth & lime; [NIOSH]

Sources/Uses

Used to replace asbestos in insulation and as an anti-caking agent (table salt, foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pesticides); [ACGIH] Used in lime glass, Portland cement, absorbents, pigment extenders, elastomer fillers, refractory binders, paper coatings and fillers, cosmetics, chromatography, and road construction; Used in foods up to 5% in baking powder and up to 2% in table salt; [HSDB]

Comments

Respiratory tract irritant; [Merck Index] "Several epidemiologic studies of workers exposed to wollastonite showed adverse respiratory effects. One showed decrements in lung function for workers with cumulative exposures of more than 30 mg/m3-years (Hanke et al., 1984) and small lung densities (pneumoconiosis) in x-rays of 3% of workers. . . . and the overall evidence suggests that wollastonite fibers are unlikely to cause human lung disease." [ACGIH] See "Wollastonite."

Reference Link #1

Biomedical References

Insufficient data

1 mg/m3, inhalable fraction (nonfibrous), naturally occurring as Wollastonite, containing no asbestos and <1% crystalline silica

15 mg/m3(total dust), 5 mg/m3(respirable fraction)

Explanatory Notes

"This value applies only to naturally occurring forms of calcium silicate." [ACGIH]

Not Classifiable

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

• Glass Manufacturing