Understanding the Health Effects of Silica Exposure
Silica exposure poses serious health risks as respirable crystalline silica particles can penetrate the body's natural defenses, leading to conditions like silicosis, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and chronic bronchitis. The silica particles that bypass initial defenses can cause inflammation and fibrosis, creating scar tissue in the lungs. Learn more about these health effects to promote safety in environments where silica exposure is a concern.
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Module # 4 Health Effects of Silica Exposure 1
Disclaimer This material was produced under grant number SH-05053-SH8 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 2
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (1) Why is respirable crystalline silica a hazard? The respiratory system generally cleans itself using hairs and mucus but not the tiny silica particles. The size of hazardous Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) varies from 10 m to 0.1 m. Silica particles of this size are able to penetrate the body s natural defenses For perspective, the diameter of the average human hair is about 100 m. This means Silica dust is around 10 times smaller than human hair. 3
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (2) Why is respirable crystalline silica dangerous? Respirable crystalline silica causes silicosis and increases the risk of: Tuberculosis Lung cancer Chronic bronchitis Kidney diseases Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 4
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (3) Why is respirable crystalline silica a hazard? The Human respiratory system allows us to exchange air 5
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (4) Silica particles can pass human respirator's defense and get into lungs where white blood cells (i.e., Macrophages cells) start the secondary cleaning process. Silica particles can pass deep into the lung surpassing the initial defenses and coming to the lungs secondary defenses (i.e., white blood cells) If there are too many of silica particles, the secondary defense (i.e., cleaning) system gets over loaded and cannot remove the particles from the lungs. 6
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (5) The overloading causes a rupture to white blood cells which causes inflammation. As a result, Fibroblast cells try to heal the inflamed areas, but this creates scar tissue called fibrosis. This is similar to the clotting, scabbing, and scarring process that occurs whenever you are cut. 7
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (6) The amount and duration of the exposure to silica particles control the scar severity and quantity. Scar tissues damage the lung functionality. 8
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (7) The illness that result from the lungs scaring (i.e., fibrosis) is called Silicosis. There are three type of Silicosis based on the amount and duration of exposure: Acute Accelerated Chronic 9
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (8) Acute Silicosis develops within a few weeks up to five years of exposure to high levels of respirable silica which often results in death. Accelerated silicosis develops within 5-10 years of exposure to respirable silica. Chronic silicosis develops within 10-30 years during or after exposure to low concentrations of silica over a long period. It is the most common type. 10
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (9) Common Symptoms of Silicosis Cough Weight loss Fatigue Sharp chest pain Shortness of breath It progress even after the exposure ended It often leads to a disability and death. 11
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (10) Chest x-rays could detect early stages of silicosis. There is no cure for silicosis so early detection is important, however, it is a preventable disease by reducing exposure. 12
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (11) Silicosis also increases the risk of other problems: Tuberculosis Lung cancer Chronic bronchitis Kidney diseases Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 13
Health Effects of Silica Exposure (12) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) respirable crystalline silica can also cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) A high percentage of individuals with silicosis have obstructive lung disease (difficulty completely expelling air from the lungs) A particular problem is that when patients smoke, all their respiratory problems could be seen as a result to smoking, and other factors like exposure to silica might be missed. 14
Silica Exposure Case studies Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster The Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster was a large-scale incident of occupational silicosis as the result of the construction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel near Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, as part of a hydroelectric project. This project is considered to be one of the worst industrial disasters in American history. Stone Kitchen Benchtops Stonemasons who cut engineered stone into a popular type of kitchen benchtop are contracting accelerated silicosis at alarming levels. The largest occupational lung crisis in Australia since the peak of asbestos use in the 1960s and the 1970s. Stone Cutting Case 15
Summary What are the basic health risks associated with silica exposure? What are your future actions based on the information you have acquired in this section? 16
Review & Questions Name three important things you learned in this section. 17
