RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To make sure of the harmfulness degree of the dust in geological prospecting occupation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The determination of respirable dust, total dust and the free silica concentrations was carried out at different working spots exposed to dust. Personal sampling equipment was used to collect the respirable dust. The data of respirable dust concentration in the research was compared to the historical data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>As for respirable dust concentration level, 47.95% of 765 silica dust spots of geological prospecting occupation in 9 provinces(autonomous regions) were beyond the criteria. The profession and work type of the highest dust concentration was chiseling and sampling of geological prospecting [from 1996-2000, the dust concentration was (6.15 +/- 3.12) mg/m3]. The ratio of respirable dust to total dust was high in geological prospecting workers. The FSiO2 contentin dust to which geological prospecting workers exposed was high too.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The respirable dust concentration of some types of work in geological prospecting occupation was obviously higher than the national criteria, especially in chiseling, sampling and drilling workers.</p>