wickerprints
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Tomser wrote:
runamuck wrote:
Fine dust from silica sand can cause silicosis, bronchitis, and even cancer.
So does the air in any major city, what's your point ? 
Seriously, you are plain wrong, unless you do sandblasting for a living.
No, I don't think you quite understand the hazard. Silica sand is extremely fine. Inhalation of silica dust particles causes them to become lodged in the alveoli, where coughing cannot expel them. Over time, this damages the lungs, causing shortness of breath, reduced oxygen capacity, and increases risk of lung cancer, much in the way that asbestos does. Damage due to exposure is cumulative and irreversible. By your reasoning, one would not have any problem inhaling asbestos fibers.
As a ceramic artist who works with such materials, it is something that I had to educate myself about. Some notable ceramic artists such as Warren MacKenzie have developed silicosis in their later years. Granted, the level of exposure is many times greater than what I presume would occur with incidental usage in sandbags, but let's just put it this way--there are equally effective and less hazardous materials available, so why not use those instead?
Non-lead shot is commonly made from metallic bismuth, which has relatively low toxicity but is high density. This would be ideal for an indoor studio setting, where portability is not a major concern.
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