All about silicosis
The BMJ’s International Respiratory & Critical Care Journal has recently reported on the first eight cases of silicosis amongst workers in the stone industry in the UK. With the dangers of this disease becoming more evident, and questions arising about how it can be prevented, we will address all of what is currently know about silicosis.
Silicosis is a disease in the lungs, which builds up over time with exposure to silica dust particles. Though the disease is not currently curable or reversible, you can treat and manage it to the best of your ability or avoid it completely! To help you we’re going to cover details such as the different types of silicosis, how it can affect you, the causes, symptoms and tests, preventative measures, speaking to your doctor, and living with the disease.
What are the causes of silicosis?
Silicosis is caused by long periods of exposure and inhalation of silica dust. Silicosis is not contagious – if you are not exposed to silica dust, but are in contact with someone who has been, there is no risk of you catching silicosis off them as it does not contain virus or bacteria.
Are there different types of silicosis?
Just like many illnesses, silicosis comes in various forms.
Acute silicosis is the fastest developing form of the illness and is caused by extremely high concentrations of silica dust. Acute silicosis causes causing progressive breathlessness, weakness and weight loss, and can become deadly over a very short period of time – even weeks.
Accelerated silicosis is a form of the illness which develops through being exposed to high levels of silica dust, for around or less than ten years. Typically, this develops within 3 – 10 years of exposure to the dust. Accelerated silicosis takes longer to become apparent than acute silicosis. Silica dust is currently the second biggest risk to construction workers, after asbestos, and is the result of prolonged exposure to respirable crystalline silica over the time scales above.
Chronic silicosis is the most common form of silicosis and is generally developed over many years. The symptoms of chronic silicosis may not be evident without a chest x-ray, but as the disease progresses, those suffering will experience shortness of breath, and later stages may lead to fatigue, extreme shortness of breath, chest pain and ultimately respiratory failure.
Who is affected by silicosis?
Due to the nature of silicosis, any person exposed to silica dust is at risk of contracting the illness. Typically, silicosis is more prominent in the construction industry, where workers are working with materials such as stone, cement, brick, granite, grout, mortar, quartz, sand, bitumen, engineered stone, and even soil. All of these materials (amongst others) contain different amounts of silica dust, which means that the risk of silicosis is always present. Whether you’re affected is not due to the type of material you are working with, it’s due to how you protect yourself from the dust it releases. Even if the material you’re working with has low levels of silica content, you could still be affected if you’re not correctly protecting yourself from the dust it releases.
How does silicosis affect stoneworkers?
The danger of silicosis to stoneworkers comes with carrying out everyday fabrication processes such as cutting, drilling, grinding, carving and polishing. All these activities produce the fine silica dust. Stoneworkers who experience very high exposures over months or years can develop any time of silicosis, but in particular acute silicosis, which is the rapidly progressive form of the illness, which can even be fatal in some cases.
How can it affect me?
Silica dust enters your system through the mouth and nose, and begins to interfere with the respiratory system, damaging alveolar macrophages. These are part of your immune system and are the main line of defence for your respiratory system. So, damaging this part of your body decreases your resistance to any other illnesses and diseases. Silicosis is an already serious condition, but it can also increase the risk of other serious conditions developing, such as lung cancer, tuberculosis (and other chest infections), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), arthritis and kidney diseases.
What are the symptoms of silicosis?
It can be difficult to tell whether or not you have got silicosis, but here are some giveaway signs.
Can I get tested for silicosis?
If you are concerned that you may have silicosis, visit your doctor, who can carry out relevant tests and checks,
Your doctor will first check your medical history and ask questions about your exposure to silica dust. They may want to carry out various tests, which could include x-rays and CT scans to check the performance of other organs, so that professionals can rule out any other potential illnesses.
How can I prevent it in the first place?
Silicosis is a completely preventable illness. Despite the risk surrounding silica dust, working with materials which contain this element doesn’t have to be a threat, if the correct measures are put in place. Here are a few different solutions you can put in place to protect you or your employees:
Wear full PPE: Effective personal protective equipment, such as full-face masks or respirators, minimise the risk of any silica dust from being inhaled
Work wet: using water in all your methods especially stone vital in suppressing dust and stopping it from spreading through the workshop. Working with water has many other benefits too – read about them on our blog here.
Use dust monitoring devices: measuring the levels of dust in your workshop or environment allows you to gain an accurate insight into the types of conditions you are working in and if you need to put in preventative measures to keep workers safe. Often, silica dust cannot be seen, so what may look like clear air, could be polluted with potentially deadly particles. Take a look at the dust measuring devices that we offer.
Reduce exposure: minimising time spent working with materials containing silica can certainly help reduce your risk of silicosis. Rotate job shifts or time spent on the job, and make sure that your atmosphere is well ventilated.
Collect the dust: dust collection and extraction is key to minimising the levels of silica dust in your workshop. Water walls can help to capture and contain any dust produced in fabrication, and can be completely linked to your water system, making it a hassle-free method of containing any dust.
Can it be treated?
At this stage, there is no specific treatment for silicosis. Instead, you must manage it.
If you have silicosis, it’s best to treat it as though you are preventing it. Use the guidance from the paragraph titled ‘Living with silicosis’, for best self-care with the illness. However, there are various ways of managing it, that we discuss in more detail below.
Living with silicosis
If you do have silicosis, there are measures you can put in place to prevent it from becoming worse, and to look after yourself as best you can.
Ensure that you use the correct PPE, proper ventilation and full-face masks or respirators. It’s important to bear in mind that regular disposable face masks are not recommended. Instead, look at purchasing a mask that constantly provides the user with a flow of clean air, completely blocking any RCS from entering your lungs.
Ensure you are fully vaccinated.
Avoid using tobacco or smoking. Smoke inhalation, including second-hand smoke (from other smokers) can compound other issues, so could result in making your condition worse.
Make sure you have a proper working procedure in place, good constant water supply to your tools, and a dust measurement system which allows you to see if further preventative measures are required.
Contact us
If you want any further discussions, or advice on the topic, you can visit websites such as the NHS, which offers expert advice on the topic, or get in touch with one of our team, and we are happy to help, support and assist you to put in place the right measures, whilst monitoring and improving your factory’s working conditions.
Contact us on +44 (0) 1482 620400, email [email protected], or visit our Safe In Stone resource for more information on best working practices within the stone industry.
