As I watched, I noticed that neither Michael nor the interviewer ever wore a face mask during all of the different types of grinding he was doing on a wine bottle. It is fine to cut a bottle without wearing a mask since there won't be glass powder floating around in the air which could be inhaled, but it is NOT okay to grind glass without some sort of mask! Breathing in fine glass powder will result in
silicosis.
(Keep in mind that crystalline silica can cause silicosis only when we breathe it into our lungs as dust or a fine powder. Here's what happens: The silica particles become trapped in the lungs and damage the tissue. As a result, the lung tissue scars and forms small, rounded masses called nodules.)
I always teach my students (and do this myself) to use water when grinding glass. I guess some people might consider that to be a nuisance since it can be messy, but the reason why water is used is to keep any glass dust from becoming airborne. I was actually shocked to see Michael Fernandez using his grinders without water and without a particle mask. I did see that he was grinding outside, but in my opinion that is still not at all safe. At least he wore glasses.
This is especially important for new glass artists that want to recycle bottles since it is really becoming popular again. Please use wet belt sanders or something like a Glastar disc grinder and if that is not possible, wear an appropriate mask to protect yourself. Then if you do grind glass dry, you must also clean all glass particles off of your clothes, skin and hair, since that powder can still become airborne.
Here is the video: Michael Fernandez demonstrates how he cuts and finishes his recycled bottle art. Please don't do what he did.
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