Industrial workers are exposed to many chemicals and dangerous compounds. One of the most pervasive and dangerous chemicals is actually silicon dioxide, or silica. Silica is manufactured in several different forms including glass and silica gel. Silica is also a critical ingredient in certain clays and ultimately allows for clay to be strengthened during the firing process of pottery making.
Silica is used widely in a number of jobs and industries including sand-blasting, cement manufacturing and cutting, asphalt pavement manufacturing, foundry work, jackhammer operations, rock and well drilling, concrete mixing, tunneling and cutting, brick cutting, railroad work and repair, soap detergent plant workers, glass manufacturing jobs, shipbuilding jobs and underground miners. The most dangerous form of silica is crystalline silica dust which can be easily inhaled and then stays in the lung tissue. Almost 2 million workers in America are exposed silica and silica dust each year and more and more people are coming forward suffering from silicosis.
Silicosis is also known as Grinder's disease because when it was first diagnosed it was found primarily in stone cutters. It is a form of pneumoconiosis – a lung condition also caused by asbestos, talc and some metals. Silicosis is specifically caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust. Patients suffer from scarring and inflammation of the lungs. The scars from silicosis look like small node shaped lesions and they are mainly localized in the upper lung area.
Symptoms of silicosis include shortness of breath, fever, and bluish skin – a sign of oxygen deprivation. In many instances, silicosis is misdiagnosed or a delayed diagnosis because it presents itself so much like a typical pulmonary edema, pneumonia, or tuberculosis. Approximately 300 people die from silicosis annually and others who live with it find the silicosis symptoms to be debilitating and limiting.
Silicosis also makes a person more likely to catch an infectious disease of the lungs because of its debilitating effect on the immune system. In many cases, people with silicosis will easily develop tuberculosis if they come into contact with the disease. As silicosis progresses, patients find they suffer from extreme fatigue, and have a lot of difficulty breathing. They also may experience a loss of appetite, chest pains and ultimately respiratory failure.
Some workers who suffer from silicosis from silica inhalation have sued the companies for which they worked and to whom their disease might be attributed. In fact, in 2004 a jury ordered the Norfolk Southern Railway Co. to pay $1.5 million in compensatory damages to a Virginia Beach man who contracted silicosis as a railroad worker. If you have been exposed to silica and have contracted silicosis or any secondary complications like respiratory failure, tuberculosis or lung cancer, you should contact a reputable silicosis lawyer or an environmental toxin attorney to assess your case. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills or for loss of pay. Additionally, as more people complete silicosis lawsuits about this dangerous disease, the more likely it is that improved safety measures can be developed to prevent further silicosis in the future.