Danger Dust

First published: 18 March 2022

Silicosis not a disease of the past. It is an irreversible, fibrotic lung disease specifically caused by exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust.  Despite countries around the world dealing with similar issues related to RCS exposure, there is an absence of sustained global public health response including lack of consensus of an occupational exposure limit that would provide protection to workers. Although there are complex challenges, global elimination of silicosis must remain the goal.

...By crystalline silica being the main mineral component in the earth crust, silicosis affects all sectors—not only the traditional industrial ones such as construction and building, but also ancient craftsmanship (stonecutting), modern technologies (dental prostheses), farming or fashionable productions (kitchen benchtop fabricated from artificial stone) and clothes (stone-washed jeans). The global ubiquity of silica has however never been translated into a universal public health issue. Only in specific contexts have local physicians been aware of the hazard linked to RCS exposure.