Association between Crystalline Silica Dust Exposure and Silicosis Development in Artificial Stone Workers

Mar Requena-Mullor, Raquel Alarcón-Rodríguez, Tesifón Parrón-Carreño, Jose Joaquín Martínez-López, David Lozano-Paniagua and Antonio F. Hernández
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Mar Requena-Mullor: Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Raquel Alarcón-Rodríguez: Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Tesifón Parrón-Carreño: Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Jose Joaquín Martínez-López: Andalusian Council of Health and Families at Almería Province, 04005 Almería, Spain
David Lozano-Paniagua: Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Antonio F. Hernández: Department of Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University of Granada School of Medicine, 18016 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: Occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica (SiO 2 ) is one of the most common and serious risks because of the health consequences for the workers involved. Silicosis is a progressive, irreversible, and incurable fibrotic lung disease caused by the inhalation of respirable crystalline silica dust. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out to assess the occupational risk factors that may contribute to the onset of silicosis in workers carrying out work activities with the inhalation of silica compact dust. The study population consisted of 311 artificial stone workers from the province of Almeria (southeast of Spain). Among them, 64 were previously diagnosed with silicosis and the rest of the participants (n = 247 workers) were not diagnosed with such a disease. The workers showing a greater risk of developing silicosis were those who installed kitchen worktops at consumers’ homes, as they did not use face-masks or were not provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) by their business. The results of this study provide support for the evidence indicating that silicosis is a major emerging health concern for workers in the artificial stone sector. Exposure to crystalline silica dust thus can influence the development of silicosis in those cases where individual and collective protection measures are not used or adequately applied.

Keywords: artificial stone; respirable crystalline silica; silicosis; occupational exposure; pulmonary disease; occupational epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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