Developer site: The content shown here is test data.

MyEClinic
MyEClinic
Health Dictionary AI Health Chat Find an Online Doctor
A serene Zen garden with raked sand and smooth stones, symbolising clarity and calm

Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

Back to skin conditions

Silicosis risk factors

Introduction

Overview

Overview

  • Occupational exposure is the most significant risk factor of silicosis. Excavations in mines, tunnels, quarries, and underground galleries, quarrying, cutting and polishing siliceous rock, and manufacturing of silicon-based products are all associated with increased risk of developing silicosis.
Risk Factors

Risk Factors

The risk of developing silicosis is associated with the cumulative exposure of an individual to crystalline silica.

  • Accumulated silica dose = Fraction of respirable dust × % of free silica in mg/m3 × Number of years of exposure[1]

Occupational exposure is the most significant risk factor of silicosis.

  • The most common occupations that involve exposure to silicosis are shown below:
  • Excavations in mines, tunnels, quarries, underground galleries
  • Quarrying, cutting and polishing siliceous rock
  • Dry cutting, grinding, sieving and manipulation of minerals and rock
  • Manufacturing of silicon carbide, glass, porcelain, earthenware and other ceramic products
  • Manufacturing and maintenance of abrasives and detergent powders
  • Foundry work: cast shakeout, sprue removal and blast cleaning
  • Milling work: polishing, filing products containing free silica
  • Sandblasting[2] and grinding
  • Pottery industry
  • Handling quartz conglomerates and ornamental stone
  • Dental prostheses
  • A few cases of non-occupational silicosis have been reported in communities at proximity to industries like quarries and sand works.
  • In addition to environmental, genetic factors such as polymorphisms for TNF-α gene is associated with more severe silicosis[3]
References

References

  1. ↑ Fernández Álvarez R, Martínez González C, Quero Martínez A, Blanco Pérez JJ, Carazo Fernández L, Prieto Fernández A (2015). “Guidelines for the diagnosis and monitoring of silicosis”. Arch Bronconeumol. 51 (2): 86–93. doi:10.1016/j.arbres.2014.07.010. PMID 25479706.
  2. ↑ Schelde J, Authried G, Madsen HD, Perch M, Sherson DL (2015). “[Working as a sandblaster can cause silicosis.]”. Ugeskr Laeger. 177 (2A). PMID 25612962.
  3. ↑ Corbett EL, Mozzato-Chamay N, Butterworth AE, De Cock KM, Williams BG, Churchyard GJ; et al. (2002). “Polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene promoter may predispose to severe silicosis in black South African miners”. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 165 (5): 690–3. doi:10.1164/ajrccm.165.5.2010050. PMID 11874815.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aparna Vuppala, M.B.B.S. [2]