Major Category
Mineral Dusts
Synonyms
Calcium(II) sulfate dihydrate; Gypsum stone; Hydrated calcium sulfate; Mineral white [Note: Gypsum is the dihydrate form of calcium sulfate; Plaster of Paris is the hemihydrate form.]
Category
Other Mineral Dusts
Description
White or nearly white, odorless, crystalline solid;
Sources/Uses
Used to manufacture plasterboard and plaster of Paris; [Harber, p. 358]
Comments
A cross-sectional study of 241 British gypsum miners in Sussex and Nottinghamshire with over 20 years of exposure identified x-ray findings consistent with a simple pneumoconiosis. Sixty-four miners had >1/0 on the ILO scale and 3 miners had 2/1 or greater. The authors attributed the higher rates of slight pneumoconiosis in the Sussex miners to the higher levels of quartz in these mines where the levels of gypsum dust were lower. [ACGIH] See "Calcium sulfate."
Skin Designation (ACGIH)
Insufficient data
TLV (ACGIH)
10 mg/m3, inhalable fraction
MAK
4 mg/m3, (inhalable fraction), 1.5 mg/m3 (respirable fraction)
Diseases
Occupational diseases associated with exposure to this agent:
Processes
Industrial Processes with risk of exposure: