The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says it is halting the development of a long-awaited silica dust regulation to study the respiratory hazards created during hydraulic fracturing operations. New research released earlier this year shows that fracking exposes workers to high levels of crystalline silica dust, which could lead to lung cancer and other health problems.
"It was really an eye-opener for all of us," said OSHA chief David Michaels on Oct. 23 at the National Safety Council's annual meeting in Orlando. "One of the things we are now doing is actually looking at how you can cover oil and gas—in particular, fracking—to protect workers from silica exposure. Until we figure this out, we can't really move that standard forward."