Is the dust that comes from cat litter a health risk?
The only thing worse than eating cat litter is breathing it. All clay-based litter contains crystalline silica, which has been found to cause silicosis. Silicosis is a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by overexposure to crystalline silica. Inhalation of crystalline silica particles has also been associated with bronchitis and tuberculosis. The risk is primarily associated with workers who are in the sandblasting, drilling, mining, paint removal and construction fields. OSHA is very strict in its rules for workers who are regularly exposed to silica, and mandates the wearing of masks. I am not suggesting that cat owners who clean the litter box every few days have the same exposure as Kentucky coal miners, but why take the risk.
