The Air We Breathe: Strategies for a Safer Work Environment

With airborne silica and zirconia particles, aluminous oxide dust, and burnout and monomer fumes, it’s no surprise that air quality is the number-one health concern in a lab. In fact, last April, the website BusinessInsider.com ranked dental technicians as the fourth unhealthiest job in America due in large part to exposure to contaminants.*

“Let’s face it, dental labs are basically dirty places. In the past, older techs may have put up with monomer smell or odors or a fine dust but, over time, technicians have become more conscious about what effect these might have on their health,” says Gary Morgan, CDT, Vice President of SafeLink Consulting, Inc.

Although OSHA does have air quality requirements, there aren’t specific guidelines that offer black-and-white...