"The Labor Department on Friday issued a proposed rule on exposure to silica dust, a compound linked to incurable respiratory issues and particularly affecting miners.

The proposed rule, announced by the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MHSA), will provide to miners protections other industries already have against silica. Long-term exposure to the compound has been linked to conditions ranging from silicosis to emphysema, lung cancer and kidney disease.

Mine operators, under the proposed rule, would be required to keep miners’ exposure to silica no higher than 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air over an eight-hour shift."

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill June 30, 2023. [2]