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Silica dust from cut or drilled rock can cause deadly lung disease if inhaled. Experts want better protection for workers who are exposed to it every day.
New limits on the daily exposure of a person to silica dust in construction, mining, dentistry and other industries could save an estimated 13,000 lives worldwide.
That’s what UK researchers recommend, as they found that a lifetime of exposure to the current “acceptable” limit could put a worker at serious risk of developing a potentially fatal lung disease called silicosis.
They warn that silicosis could become as major a health problem as exposure to asbestos.
“Our research supports a reduction in exposure to silica dust from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3 over a working day,” said study author Patrick Howlett of Imperial College London.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal on August 8, 2024, titled Thorax. It highlights the need for more data on the risks of silicosis as the total burden of the disease remains unclear, particularly in developing countries where data about silicosis is scarce.
Also read: Why does black mucus come out? Is it a sign of lung cancer?
What exactly is silicosis?
Silicosis is a respiratory disease that hardens 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 sculpture.
People working in these industries are often exposed to silica every day, and as a result they have a higher risk of developing silicosis. For example, the disease has wreaked havoc in small mining communities in India.
Silicosis is a progressive disease and there is no cure.
Also read: Lung cancer risk among non-smoking Indians is higher than Westerners: Understanding the disparity
Why are workers inhaling silica?
When material is cut or drilled, crystalline silica is released into the air as a very fine dust. Workers breathe it in as they work, particularly where industrial health and safety standards are poor.
Silicosis can take a long time to develop — usually 10 to 20 years from exposure to silica dust.
“It is estimated that millions [of people] “There are a lot of cases of silicosis around the world, but there is very little data. In the UK and Europe, we see hundreds of cases every year,” Howlett told DW in an interview.
Silicosis can lead to serious illnesses, including lung cancer, but scientists don’t know exactly how it happens. Some speculate that silica dust accumulates in the lungs and that these deposits cause persistent inflammation.
Call to reduce exposure levels of silica dust
This new study, or meta-analysis, evaluated eight existing studies that looked at cumulative exposure to silicosis.
The study included 8,792 cases of silicosis in 65,977 participants, and included evidence from lung X-ray analysis, post-mortem examination results and death certificates.
“We calculated the cumulative risk of silicosis over 40 years of work exposure to silica dust. Most of the studies included miners, and only two studies included non-miners,” Howlett said.
The researchers found that if the average exposure was reduced by half, from 0.1 mg/m3 to 0.05 mg/m3, over a 40-year career in the mining sector, silicosis cases would be reduced by 77%.
“This will reduce risk among non-miners as well, but the caveat is that [there were] Only two studies included non-miners, so the data was less clear,” Howlett said.
Reducing exposure to silica dust ‘is possible’
The UK occupational limit for exposure to silica dust is 0.1 mg/m3. This is in line with most European countries, including France, Austria and Switzerland. Other countries, such as China, have much higher limits, at around 1 mg/m3.
Reducing the silica dust exposure limit to 0.05 mg/m3 would be in line with US standards.
Howlett said reducing exposure to silica dust in the workplace was an achievable goal. He cited the experience of the US and Australia, where such health and safety measures have proven effective.
Australia has banned the use of engineered stone because it releases high levels of silica dust when cut or drilled.
“There are established methods in place to address this, including the use of water suppression methods of foam and mist to effectively remove dust from the air, improved ventilation and personal protective equipment,” Howlett said.
But he said the problem of silicosis is likely to be much more severe in developing countries, where there are few or no protective measures for silica dust.
“Miners in developing countries are exposed to a lifetime’s worth of dust in a year’s work,” he said.
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