silicosis

This technology guaranteed that epidemics of silicosis would develop wherever it was used.

ENPNewswire-July 29, 2019--Gold Fields Limited - Court approves settlement of the silicosis and TB class action

Gehlot also spoke about silicosis, a lung-related disease caused by the inhalation of dust containing silica in mining areas, which has taken a severe toll on the health of mine workers in the state.

Silicosis is a diffuse irreversible interstitial lung disease caused by continuous inhalation of crystalline silica (Si[O.sub.2]) leading to lung fibrosis (1).

The workers and residents inhaling dust particles of the marbles, which exposes them to Tuberculosis and Silicosis, the lung diseases caused by a dust particle called crystalline silica, he explained.

The CDC age-adjusted statistics report that the death rate for Silicosis during the period of 2005-2014, went from 1.65 Male, .03 Female, per million in 2005 down to .69 Male, .01 Female in 2014.

Silicosis is currently described as an interstitial/inflammatory disease of the respiratory system which causes permanent damage to the lung parenchyma and the bronchial tree as a consequence of an inflammatory influx triggered by inhalation of silica particles (5).

The respirable fraction of the dust deposits in the bronchi and alveoli lead to chronic inflammation and subsequently silicosis, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Ceramic workers are potentially exposed to chemical mixture including beryllium, inorganic lead, lime, aluminum and mainly crystalline silica, that can be associated with an increased risk of several cancers, pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, renal and autoimmune diseases and also silicosis (3,4,5).

Summary: The recent launch of a silicosis fund for former miners offers a model for how the South African mining industry can begin to tackle the legacy of its troubled past.