silica

They’re also questions that I’ve been more inclined to contemplate after absentmindedly chewing on the package of silica gels that come in a bag of beef jerky than I was while watching “The Monkey.”

In Los Angeles County, they have become the face of an alarming outbreak of silicosis, a deadly lung disease caused by inhaling dust loaded with crystalline silica, among young workers who cut countertops.

In the months that followed, first responders and residents were exposed to a hazardous mix of asbestos, silica dust, heavy metals and other dangerous substances.

The ash contains volatile organic compounds that can include benzene, silica, asbestos, lead, hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen fluoride.

The rules are aimed at stemming the rise among workers of silicosis, which results from inhaling tiny particles of crystalline silica that scar the lungs, leaving people struggling to breathe.