Silica Gel - FAS Arabia

Silica gel and desiccants are familiar to everyone. We can see tiny packets of silica gel while we are purchasing new shoes or laptops. Inside the laptop bag or shoebox, the packaging companies are putting small packets of silica gel to absorb excess moisture from the closed surroundings.

One thing we need to make sure while putting silica gel with any products to absorb excess moisture, it must be in a closed container or packaging. Because, until a certain limit only silica gel can absorb moisture. Therefore if it is not in a closed container it will try to absorb water molecules from the atmosphere also. So the limit will reach soon. Then again we need to change it.

Silica gel is additionally combined with alkali metals to make an M-SG reducer. Considering the above properties of silica gel researchers are inclined to use silica gel. In developed countries, a vast expansion of technology has bought sophisticated instruments for purifications of chemical mixtures involving silica gel.

But developing and poor countries not in a position to afford such expensive instrumentation are adapted to the techniques involving usage of silica gel manually. Due to the amorphous nature of silica, it easily enters into the respiratory system of Humans and causes a lot of effects. Inhaling silica dust can cause silicosis, bronchitis, or cancer, because the finely divided dust becomes lodged within the lungs and continuously irritates them, reducing lung capacities.

Studies of workers with exposure to crystalline silica desiccants have shown 10-fold higher than expected rates of lupus and other systemic autoimmune diseases compared to expected rates in the general population. So this shows that even this inactive chemical agent can make health issues to humans while inhaling for a long time.

Desiccants are normally considering as an inactive substance. However, having it or inhaling it for a long time can make significant issues to human beings. Researches are showing the result as it should be considered properly while handling every day.