Crushed Glass Abrasive Blast Media by Chesapeake Soda Clean

Chesapeake Soda Clean, Inc. now stocks crushed glass blast media from a couple of manufacturers to better serve our customers. We stock several different sizes to fit your needs and can custom order other sizes upon request. 

Crushed Glass Abrasive Blast Media

Terrific new product with loads of applications! Works well with your other media, is safer and cleaner than sand, and is so environmentally friendly it has the following approvals:

• Approved by California Air Resource Board under Title 17 for
• Abrasives Certified for Outdoor Blasting
• Approved by NAVSEA of the US Military for listing on the Qualified
• Product List ( QPL ) under Mil-A-22262B

What is Crushed Glass Blast Media?

• Manufactured from 100% Recycled Bottle Glass.
• The use of post-consumer glass directly benefits the environment by reducing landfill waste.
• The manufacturing process reduces the glass and strips the contaminants and waste by-products from the glass.
• The product is then sized and screened to the exact specifications needed for various Abrasive Blasting needs.
• Bottle or Tri-Mix Glass is chemically known as “Amorphous Silica”. It has virtually no crystalline-silica which is commonly found in sand. Crystalline Silica is the leading cause of Silicosis.
• Extra course to ultra fine grit sizes!
• Use as a direct replacement for Silica sand and coal slag (Black Beauty) media's which are harmful to humans and the environment.

Crushed Glass Blast Media Is Now Available From Chesapeake Soda Clean, Inc!

From one or two bags, to one or two pallets, to one or two truck loads, we can fulfill your order.

We generally stock a 30-70 grit (medium to fine) as it seems to be most popular and universal
and we stock the 50-80 grit (fine to extra fine) that has many applications too.

Crushed Glass Blast Media OK'd For Open Blasting On Gulf Project

CSC - New Age Blast Media OK'd for Gulf Coast Project Feb 2011.pdf

IS IT SAFE to blast with COAL SLAG (Black Beauty) abrasives?

    The Federal Government doesn't seem so sure...

    2006 OSHA Guidance Document reported that when blasting with coal slag, "airborne levels of other air contaminants (arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, nickel, titanium and vanadium) were two to four times higher than for silica sand." View Summary of Osha's Guidance Document

    2007 EPA's Grit Blasting Guidelines for states that OSHA guidelines for respiratory protection be followed: "particularly when using blasting grit containing slag materials." View Full Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines

    2008 New York State DOT Safety Bulletin Index states that: "Composition of abrasive blast material can contribute to the hazards, the blaster, or other employees are exposed to: Black Beauty - carbonized slag. Trace amounts of heavy metals are found in this product, and respiratory protection shall be worn." View Complete NYDOT Safety Bulletin

    2009 October 4th, on 60 Minutes, the Head of the EPA stated that the EPA would decide by December 2009 whether the federal government would regulate coal waste and their products.

    Watch the Video at CBSnews.com*

    2009 After the TVA Coal Waste Spill, The US Senate and House have bills on the floor that would REQUIRE the EPA to label all Coal Waste including Coal Slag as HAZARDOUS. View Complete EPA Coal Ash Letter

    *One major industrial use of coal waste not covered by CBS is abrasive blasting, which generates thousands of tons of airborne dust every year across large areas of the US.

    2010 -WHY TAKE THE CHANCE...
    When you could be ahead of the curve?

    >> No Free Silica

    >> No Toxic Metals

    >> Non Toxic & Inert!

    >> Approved by NAVSEA for QPL

    Recent coal waste spills and lawsuits over environmental contamination are shedding more public light on this issue.
    Watch the Video at: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5362297n&tag=api

    Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/04/coal-ash-on-60-minutes-un_n_309268.html

    U.S. EPA Guidelines for Blasting Grit

    Recycled glass proves a hit with the U.S. Army

    New York DOT safety bulletin on abrasive health risks

    Recycled crushed glass blast media being used on the restoration of the longest pedestrian bridge in the world

    Green Bay , WI Goes Green

    Black is not green - JPCL Comparison, the Brutal Truth

Vietnam
        Monday, 11 January 2010

    "The central Khanh Hoa Province-based Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard Co (HVS) has to stop using copper slag for ship repair until it treats tonnes of slag it has dumped nearby.

    The move has been made to minimise adverse environmental impacts, a top environmental official has said.
    Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the South Korean joint-venture should use steel grit and high-pressure water blasting machines in its painting shop instead of slag.

    Storm of protest

    Its use of slag has set off a storm of protest from local residents who complain of pollution and "danger" from the toxic substance.

    Speaking on Thursday shortly after a ministry team inspected a consignment of 20,000 tonnes of imported slag, Cuong said HVS would not be allowed to use it.

    Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted him as saying that the consignment would be monitored until the HVS treats the 800,000 tonnes of used copper slag dumped near the shipyard in Ninh Hoa District.
    The ministry has ordered provincial authorities to also monitor the measures the firm takes to protect the environment until the process is completed."

    It appears that the communist government of Vietnam has leaped to the forefront of nations that are taking a second look at whether to allowthe use of slag abrasives like copperslags which contain high concentrations of heavy and toxic metals. Clearly the government of Vietnam is demonstrating a strong concern about the safety of human health and the environment with this decision on copper slag abrasives and the toxic dust that is generated by the act of grit blasting.

    Copper slag abrasives arecurrently sold and used for gritblasing in shipyards and other industrial blasting jobsthe United States.

    They are marketed under various tradenames to include KleenBlast ®, EbonyGrit®, and SharpShot®.

    Copper slag, like all slags, is a byproduct waste from industrial production processes ranging from mining operations, industrial furnaces or boilers.

    Copper slags are produced in the United States or imported from other countries like Greece ( nickel ) or Japan ( copper ).

    In the United States, government agencies including the EPA, OSHA and NIOSH have all issued studies and documents  that warn of the toxic metals and compounds in copper slag abrasives and expressly advocate special precautions when using it as a blast media.
    The studies all warn of the potential negative impact to both the environment and human health when using slag abrasives including not just copper but coal and nickel slags as well.

    For example, OSHA has issued guidelines to the Shipyard Industry that specifically addresses the use of copper slag and other abrasives in grit blasting operations.  This OSHA guidance document is titled:
    ABRASIVE BLASTING HAZARDS IN SHIPYARD EMPLOYMENT, December 2006.

    The web link to this article is:
    http://www.osha.gov/dts/maritime/standards/guidance/shipyard_guidance.html

    OSHA specifically makes the following statements in the Abrasives section of the document concerning the use of copper slag abrasives:

    "Researchers have reported that abrasive blasting with copper slag can generate arsenic, chromium, and lead levels that exceed the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for these substances."

    "Copper slag from primary smelters contains significant levels of barium, cobalt, copper, chromium (trivalent),and nickel; whereas copper slag from secondary smelters might contain significant levels of arsenic and lead."

    The US Environmental Protection Agency also has addressed the human health issue of using slag abrasives in grit blasting.

    The EPA has a document on blasting abrasives entitled: Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for Blasting Grit.

    The web link to this article is:
    http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/cpg/products/grit.htm

    These guidelines discuss many different types of blasting abrasives that the EPA recommends due to the recycled-content levels of the product. They list products such as: glass, alumina oxide, walnut shells in addition to coal, copper, nickel and slags. Yet when the EPA advises on taking proper safety precautions, look at the special attention the EPA reserves for slag abrasives...
    Under the Product Specifications Section of the link the EPA states:

    "EPA did not find any specifications that would preclude the use of recovered materials in blasting grit."
    "EPA recommends that procuring agencies exercise OSHA or other required standard safety practices when using blasting grit, particularly when using blasting grit containing slag materials."

    It is interesting that despite guidelines by these major Federal healthagencies that clearly warn of the potential hazards to human health and the environment by using copper, coal or nickel slag as blast abrasives,  there is still no specific US federal regulation against their use in grit blasting.

    Now that countries like Vietnam are deciding to reevaluate the use of copper slags in grit blasting, perhaps the United States regulatory agencies will also take another look at whether slag abrasives should continue to still be authorized for use in this country.

The MDE's Statement of Purpose for the Beneficial Use Regulations state: 
Coal combustion byproducts ... have the potential to pollute the air, surface water, and groundwater if they are mismanaged. They also have the potential to be constructively recycled and put to beneficial uses. These regulations establish the regulatory system under which persons may use CCBs, authorize the types of beneficial and other uses of CCBs which can be performed... establish the conditions under which the allowed uses of CCBs can be performed, and establish the procedures for seeking approval from the Department for those allowed uses of CCBs for those uses of CCBs where such approval is required.

Some key highlights of these new regulations may have some significant impact on the Surface Preparation Industry:

1. The Department is proposing to require lower analytical limits for this test for CCBs which will be used in a loose form (e.g., not chemically and physically bound up, as when CCBs are added to concrete). ( Slag Abrasives would fit into this category. )

2. The regulations "applies to persons engaged in the handling, processing, beneficial use, or other use of coal combustion byproducts."

This implies that not only the manufacturer of the slag abrasives but all other companies and workers that handle the abrasive would need to follow the regulations every time the CCB's are used in the state!

3. Coal slag abrasives are not identified in the regulation as Approved for Beneficial Use. The only Unconsolidated or Loose approved uses for CCBs are.

Bottom Ash as a Substitute for Aggregate, Pipe Bedding and Winter Traction Control. Yet even with these approved uses the regulation specifically warns that

"Appropriate procedures that may include moistening, the use of temporary covers, and tacking agents shall be employed to prevent the release of dust from exposed bottom ash".

In addition, for Traction Control the regulation states that " The bottom ash used as a winter traction aid shall be screened or otherwise sized so that  no more than 2% of the particles will pass through a standard #30 screen.  How slag abrasives would meet this criteria is unknown.

The regulation would then seem to indicate that coal slag abrasives would potentially fall into the  Other Uses Category. This is how the category is defined in the regulation:

Other Uses.

(1) If a person proposes to use coal combustion byproducts in a manner that is not a use specified under Regulation .05 or .06 of this chapter, the person shall submit a request to use coal combustion byproducts to the Department and shall obtain the approval of the Department before initiating the use. Before any use of coal combustion byproducts under this regulation, the generator or user of the coal combustion byproducts shall comply with the public notification provisions of Regulation .07 of this chapter, to the extent that they are applicable to the proposed use.

(4) Unless otherwise provided by law, at its discretion, the Department may make a determination relative to a use or proposed use of coal combustion byproducts under this regulation, or deny or place restrictions on a use or proposed use of coal combustion byproducts under this regulation, based on information provided to or obtained by the Department from any source.

Given these new strict guidelines concerning how CCB's are allowed to be Beneficially Used and Transported in Maryland, it is unclear  how coal slag abrasives and the companies that use them in surface preparation will be impacted by these new regulations. Novetas has contacted the MDE and asked for clarification of these issues. For further details of the MDE's new CCB guidelines, please see the below announcement on their website and the links to the Proposed Regulations.

We are pleased to advise that New Age Blast Media Abrasives® are made from 100% Recycled Glass.  New Age Blast Media® is the only Recycled Glass Abrasive in the United Sates that now has two different facilities approved on the US Military's Qualified product listing ( Mil-A-22262B). Call us today for more information, we are available in most parts of the country. New Age Blast Media® contains no heavy metals or toxic compounds often found in CCBs and we deliver a white metal finish to get the job done. Safe for workers and the environment while maximizing performance!

Maryland Department of the Environment

Coal Combustion Byproduct Regulations

CCB Beneficial Use and Transportation Proposed Regulations - Announcement

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has proposed regulation regulations for the beneficial use and transportation of coal combustion byproducts (CCBs). These regulations (COMAR 26.10.10.03 - Transportation and COMAR 26.10.11 - Beneficial Use) were proposed in the February 26, 2010 edition of the Maryland Register (see link below). Comments may be sent to Gail Castleman, Hearings Coordinator, MDE/LMA, 1800 Washington Blvd. Baltimore MD 21230, or call (410) 537-3310, or email to gcastleman@mde.state.md.us, or fax to (410) 537-3156. Comments will be accepted through March 29, 2010.

The proposed regulations on the Division of State Documents (DSD) website: http://www.dsd.state.md.us/MDRegister/3705/main_register.htm

1 http://www.mde.state.md.us/ResearchCenter/laws_regs/RegsInDev/index.asp

2 http://www.mde.maryland.gov/Programs/LandPrograms/Solid_Waste/ccbs/index.asp

Opta Minerals admits to the US EPA that copper and nickel slags have a "heavy metal problem!"

In a meeting last November in Washington DC at the Office of Management and Budget and the US Environmental Protection Agency, the President of Opta Minerals, the manufacturer of the copper slag branded as  Ebony Grit, attended a meeting to discuss coal slag expendable abrasives. The coal slag industry, including Opta minerals, submitted a document to the federal government that included the following statement about copper and nickel slags:

" Copper and Nickel Slag are said to have a heavy metal problem."

As one of the nation's leading manufacturer of both of these products, it is refreshing to get such candor from Opta Minerals. The US EPA, OSHA and NIOSH all have documented studies that prove how toxic copper and nickel slags are when used as abrasives. Even the government of Vietnam has limited the use of copper slag abrasives over health and environment concerns!

Abrasive performance is always critical and important for proper surface profiling and cleaning. However, worker health safety is also extremely important as is the impact on the environment. Opta Minerals and the coal slag industry are correct when they point out that heavy metals are a problem that contractors and job site owners need to account for when choosing a blast media to get the job done.

For details of the coal slag industry in meeting in Wash DC and their paper on the heavy metal issues with slags please click on the following weblink: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/2050_meeting_111209/( see pdf document 3 in the link which contains comments on copper and nickel slag )

We are pleased to advise that recycled crushed glass blast medias are made from 100% Recycled Glass.  It does NOT contain heavy metals or free silica!  Safer for workers and the environment while maximizing performance!

MSDS - Crushed Glass Blast Media

CSC - New Age MSDS.pdf