If inhaled, silica dust from cut or drilled stone, can cause a fatal lung disease. Experts want better protections for workers exposed to it every day. New limits to a person's daily exposure to silica dust in the construction, mining, dentistry and other industries could save about 13,000 lives worldwide.
That's what researchers in the UK recommend, having found that a worker's lifetime exposure to current, "acceptable" limits can result in serious risk of developing silicosis, a potentially fatal lung disease . They warn that silicosis could become as big a health problem as exposure to asbestos. "Our research supports the reduction of exposure to silica dust from 0.
1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3 over a working day," said study author Patrick Howlett from London's Imperial College. The study was published in the British Medical Journal title Thorax on August 8, 2024.
It highlights a need for more data on silicosis risks because the total burden of the disease is unclear, especially in developing countries where data about silicosis is scarce. ALSO READ: What causes black mucus? Is it a sign of lung cancer? What exactly is silicosis? Silicosis is a respiratory disease which causes a hardening of the lungs. It is caused by silica dust or silica crystals, which are found in soil, sand, concrete, mortar, granite and artificial stone.
It is common in construction, mining, oil and gas extraction, kitchen engineering, dentistry, pottery and sculpting. People working in these industries are.