What is silica used for?

What is silica used for?

Silica has widespread industrial applications including use as a food additive, i.e., anti-caking agent, as a means to clarify beverages, control viscosity, as an anti-foaming agent, dough modifier, and as an excipient in drugs and vitamins.

Is silica harmful to humans?

Inhaling crystalline silica can lead to serious, sometimes fatal illnesses including silicosis, lung cancer, tuberculosis (in those with silicosis), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, silica exposure has been linked to other illnesses including renal disease and other cancers.

What exactly is silica?

Silica is another name for silicon dioxide, a molecule composed of one silicon and two oxygen atoms, among the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. Sand is mostly silicon dioxide and quartz is a common crystal form of it. Glass is also made with it. Silica gel packets in the seaweed contain hard little beads.

Why is silica bad for you?

Breathing in very small (“respirable”) crystalline silica particles, causes multiple diseases, including silicosis, an incurable lung disease that leads to disability and death. Respirable crystalline silica also causes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease.

Is silica a safe supplement?

According to the United States Department of Labor, about 2.3 million people in the U.S. are exposed to silica at work. As long as you aren’t inhaling silica in its crystalline form, it appears to be safe to consume at the levels set out by the FDA.

What is silica in food?

Why is silicon dioxide used in food additives? Manufacturers use silica to make everything from glass to cement, but it also has a use in the food industry as an additive and anticaking agent. This type of food additive prevents foods from caking or sticking together in clumps.

What silica does to your body?

Silica is an important trace mineral that provides strength and flexibility to the connective tissues of your body — cartilage, tendons, skin, bone, teeth, hair, and blood vessels. Silica is essential in the formation of collagen, the most abundant protein found in your body.

Is silica safe to take?

Acute silicosis – After high exposure, symptoms may occur within weeks. Symptoms include cough, weight loss, fever and fatigue. While typically caused by smoking, lung cancer is also a danger of silica dust exposure.

Is silica A plastic?

The plastics industry considers silicone a plastic, and so do we, regardless of much of the green marketing claiming it is not a plastic. Technically, silicone could be considered part of the rubber family. Silicone can be used to make malleable rubber-like items, hard resins, and spreadable fluids.

Is silica safe in supplements?

In supplements, it’s used to prevent the various powdered ingredients from sticking together. As with many food additives, consumers often have concerns about silicon dioxide as an additive. However, numerous studies suggest there’s no cause for these concerns.

What are the side effects of taking silica?

Long term inhalation of silica dust may lead to issues in the lungs, including:

• silicosis, a progressive, irreversible lung disease.
• lung cancer.
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
• increased risk of tuberculosis.

Can silica damage your kidneys?

If you are exposed to silica dust in the workplace, this can cause many chronic health problems including kidney damage and kidney failure. The more you are exposed, the greater the risk. It only takes a very small amount of airborne silica dust to create a significant health hazard.

What are the health effects of silica?

The effects of silica exposure can be debilitating. To date, silica has been classified as a human lung carcinogen and is known to cause lung cancer, kidney disease and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Exposure also increases the risk of occupational asthma, tuberculosis, renal disease,…

What foods are rich in silica?

Food Sources High in Silica. The Silica is primarily high in the foods that grow underground (Potatoes, Peanuts, and Beets). The highest amount of Silica is in the skin (peel). Silica is also present in the fiber-like substances in the foods, examples: the fibers emanating from the pit of the mangoes, the fibers in the celery).

Is silica bad for You?

Because, unfortunately, silica dust is bad for you, it can cause lung problems, and a silica specific disease called silicosis . Crystalline silica is classified as a group 1 carcinogen, meaning it causes cancer in humans.

What does silica stand for?

Silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), is the same material found in quartz. The gel form contains millions of tiny pores that can adsorb and hold moisture. Silica gel is essentially porous sand.