Inhalation of crystalline silica is known to result in silicosis: an irreversible, disabling and potentially fatal occupational lung disease, which is associated with a variety of pulmonary and non-pulmonary complications including autoimmunity. A potential link between silicosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is currently recognized only in cases of acute or accelerated silicosis. We r...

Silicosis remains a common occupational respiratory disease. Even in this era of highly sophisticated hygiene in European countries, new occupational cases of silicosis continue to be reported. Four cases of silicosis which developed after a relatively short occupational exposure to respirable silica among the members of one family are described. Four young men worked illegally abroad in mining...

BACKGROUND Given the intimate association between silicosis and tuberculosis, understanding the epidemiology of the South African gold mining industry silicosis epidemic is essential to current initiatives to control both silicosis and tuberculosis in this population, one of the most heavily affected globally. The study's objectives were to compare the prevalence of silicosis among working blac...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of the interactions between polymorphisms in Nalp3, caspase-1, and interleukin(IL)-1β genes and occupational dust exposure on the risk of silicosis. METHODS We conducted a population-based case-control study in a large iron mine in China. Between January 2006 and December 2009, we identified 179 patients with silicosis to evaluate as cases and 201 individual...

AIMS To study the relation between exposure to crystalline silica and silicosis mortality. Although mortality is an important endpoint for regulators, there have been no exposure-response studies for silicosis mortality, because of the relative rareness of silicosis as an underlying cause of death, and the limited availability of quantitative exposure estimates. METHODS Data from six occupati...

BACKGROUND Asbestosis and silicosis are debilitating pulmonary conditions resulting from inhalation of asbestos fibers or silica dust. PURPOSE We provide a descriptive analysis of asbestosis and silicosis hospitalizations in North Carolina to assess trends over a 10-year period. METHODS Events were defined as inpatient hospital discharges during the period 2002-2011 with an International Cl...

TOPIC: Occupational and Environmental Lung Diseases TYPE: Fellow Case Reports INTRODUCTION: Artificial stone associated-silicosis (ASAS) is a progressive, fibrotic lung disease caused by inhalation of respirable crystalline silica [1]. The number reported cases ASAS related to occupational exposure artificial increasing rapidly recognised as major public health issue facing Australian workers [...

24 Years of Pneumoconiosis Mortality Surveillance in Australia: Derek R. SMITH, et al. International Center for Research Promotion and Informatics, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health—Asbestosis, silicosis and Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (CWP) represent three of the most important occupationally-related dust diseases in Australia. To gain a clear picture of pneumoconiosis tren...

The Himalayan villages of Chuchot Shamma and Stok were surveyed because silicosis had been suspected from the radiographs of some of the inhabitants. The villages are agricultural, and Chuchot is exposed to frequent dust storms. Chest radiographs of villagers aged 50-62 were assessed blind by two independent observers using ILO criteria. In Chuchot five of seven men and all of the nine women ex...