While the main products of mineral sands mining are titanium oxide and zircon, monazite is also a significant component. In some deposits xenotime also occurs. Yttrium from xenotime has been used in the most effective superconductors. The occupational health issue of specific relevance to the mineral sands industry is radiation. In ore, or general heavy mineral concentrate, the radiation levels are too low for radioactive classifications.
Dust control is the most important objective in radiation safety for the titanium minerals industry.
The most significant potential radiation problem is inhaled thorium in mineral sands dust. This contrasts with other industries where the focus for radiation protection has been direct gamma radiation from materials in rock. Exposure to gamma radiation still needs to be controlled in the mineral sands industry, due principally to uranium and thorium in zircon. However, safety programs are targeting alpha radiation arising from airborne dust which may be inhaled. The more precise identification of airborne radiation in mineral sands dry separation plants led to the introduction of voluntary codes of practice in 1980.