How Silica Dust Can Affect You

Most of us now know how careful we need to be with what we breathe in. While you avoid living in a house with mold or working in a warehouse full of asbestos or even smoke cigarettes, you may be accidentally ingesting something just as dangerous: silica dust. Silica, often referred to as quartz, is a very common mineral. Many common construction materials contain silica including, asphalt, brick, cement, concrete, drywall, grout, mortar, stone, sand, and tile. However common as it may be, the dust is anything but “okay.” The dust created by cutting, grinding, drilling or otherwise disturbing these materials can contain crystalline silica particles. These dust particles are very small, so you cannot see them and have no idea you’re getting them into your body.

It only takes a very small amount of airborne silica dust to create a health hazard. This respirable silica dust causes several lung diseases:

#1 Silicosis

#2 Lung cancer

#3 Tuberculosis (in those with silicosis)

#4 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Silica dust exposure has been linked to other illnesses beyond just those in the lungs, including renal disease and other cancers. In 1996, the World Health Organization identified crystalline silica as a “known human carcinogen” and they reaffirmed this position in 2009. The American Thoracic Society and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine have also recognized the adverse health effects of exposure to crystalline silica, including lung cancer.

You may be unfamiliar with Silicosis since it is not a commonly-known disease, like lung cancer. It is a disabling, irreversible, and often fatal lung disease. When someone inhales crystalline silica, their lungs react by developing hard nodules and scarring around the trapped silica particles. If the nodules become too large, breathing becomes difficult and death can result. Clearly, this is not something to take lightly. If you believe you may be breathing in this dust, you need to have a professional company come in and test the site. For those in Wyandotte,MI, the company to call is Clean Cut Abatement. Do not delay!