Silica or quartz dust causes irreversible scarring in the lungs that leads to the lung disease, silicosis. The most common place people are exposed to silica is the workplace. Since quartz in found in many kinds of rock, any job that involves grinding rock probably involves a silicosis risk. For this reason, silicosis has often been called miner’s phythisis, potter’s asthma, grinder’s rot, or stonecutters’ disease. Silica exposure can also occur by using products containing silica. Jobs where there is a high risk of exposure to silica include:
Silica is found in sand, quartz, granite, concrete, cement, many kinds of stone, gypsum, and aggregates. All of these are widely used in many industries. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a review in 2002 of the health effects of occupational exposure to silica.
Check out the following articles for more information about Silica, filing a Silica lawsuit and finding a Silica attorney.