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Silicosis: The Forgotten Cousin of Asbestosis and Mesothelioma
Silicosis: The Forgotten Cousin of Asbestosis and Mesothelioma
By Robert Short
Silicosis, Mesothelioma and Asbestosis are all three industry
related health problems that are preventable.
Silicosis is a respiratory disease caused by the inhalation of
silica dust, which leads to inflammation and scarring of the
lung tissue. Similar to Mesothelioma and Asbestosis, Silicosis
silently caused millions of industry related health issues and
deaths before it was discovered and could be properly diagnosed.
The main cause of Silicosis is long-term exposure to silica.
Silica is a common, naturally occurring crystal. It is found in
most rock beds and forms dust during mining, quarrying,
tunneling, construction and work with many metal ores. Silica is
a main component of sand, so glass workers, sand-blasters and
construction laborers also receive heavy exposure to silica.
Risk factors for Silicosis include but are not limited to any
work that includes exposure to silica dust. Mining, stone and
concrete cutting, quarrying, road and building construction,
work with abrasives manufacturing, sand blasting and many other
occupations and hobbies involve exposure to silica.
Intense exposure to silica may result in symptoms of or full
blown Silicosis in a year or less, but it usually takes at least
10 or 15 years of exposure before most symptoms of Silicosis
develop. Silicosis as well as Mesothelioma and Asbestosis have
become less common since the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) instituted laws and regulations requiring
the use of protective equipment, to be provided by employers,
that limit the amount of a worker's hazardous material exposure.
Now, in most cases, it is legally and lawfully the
responsibility of your employer to protect you by providing
personal protection equipment (PPE).
The three different types of Silicosis are:
* Acute Silicosis -- results from short-term exposure to very
large amounts of silica. The lungs become very inflamed and may
fill with fluid, causing severe shortness of breath and low
blood oxygen levels.
* Accelerated Silicosis -- occurs after exposure to larger
amounts of silica over a shorter period of time (5 - 15 years).
Inflammation, scarring, and symptoms progress faster in
accelerated silicosis than in simple silicosis.
* Simple chronic silicosis -- results from long-term exposure
(more than 20 years) to low amounts of silica dust. Nodules of
chronic inflammation and scarring provoked by the silica dust
form in the lungs and chest lymph nodes. This disease
may
feature breathlessness and may resemble chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD). If you feel that you are in an
industry with a high risk of exposure to silica dust, or any
other hazardous material, you should take it upon yourself to
use every method necessary to protect yourself from exposure. It
is important to discuss any health concerns that you may have
with your employer and have your employer provide you with the
personal protective equipment required by law to minimize your
exposure to hazardous materials such as silica. It is legally
your employer's responsibility to provide you with safety
devices that will protect you but it is ultimately your
responsibility to protect your health and the health of your
family.
If your employer is lax or refuses to provide for your safety,
it is important that you contact your local, state or federal
agency that oversees health and safety law and compliance and
report it right away. In most situations you can report any
negligence anonymously to prevent being singled out and demoted
or fired by your employer. Many times your employer will be
forced to comply with the laws by the governing agency and your
problems will be solved. As an employer myself, I see the need
to protect my employees at any cost because they are not only my
most valued assets they are people with families and simply
deserve to live and work in the safest environment possible. If
your employer does not feel this way, you should not feel one
bit of remorse if you have to report abuse to the proper
authorities.
If you feel that you have been negligently exposed to Silica, or
any other hazardous material and are now experiencing health
related issues from it, you should contact a competent lawyer or
law office immediately and discuss your situation with them. You
may be entitled to compensation due to your employer's
negligence. There are lawyers and attorneys that specialize in
Silicosis, Mesothelioma, Asbestosis and a vast array of other
occupational health related diseases.
© Copyright 2005 Affordable Concrete Cutting, Inc.
About the author:
Robert Short is a professional concrete cutter, seasoned article
writer and an expert on search engine optimization and linking.
He is responsible for ranking our local service company's
website at number one on all major search engines for more than
a dozen keyword terms. Visit our website for more articles on
linking and webmaster resources
http://www.affordableconcretecutting.com/construction_seo.html
Written By: Robert Short