LegalView hosts an array of information portals on this and many other legal issues. To learn more about silica, visit http://silica.legalview.com/. Or visit LegalView's homepage and learn about the latest in traumatic brain injury accident treatments, construction accident lawsuits or the latest auto accident jury verdicts at http://crash.legalview.com/.
Silicosis. Lung cancer. Tuberculosis. Renal disease. Autoimmune disorders. It may sound like a litany of unfair and terrifying illnesses, but it's worse - it's a list of the potential side effects of silica exposure in the workplace. And with 1.7 million workers facing industrial silica exposure in a number of professions, it's of growing concern to doctors and attorneys.
What Is Silica, Anyway?
More than just a benign dust, silica is actually the world's second most common mineral. Present in mineral ore, sand, and other rocks, silica comes in crystalline form and can be easily inhaled and breathed through the lungs. The presence of silica in inhalable dust poses the biggest threat to workers, who experience the formation of scar tissue in the lungs from prolonged silica exposure. Silica can be found at many job sites, including:
* ceramics and pottery factories;
* glass factories;
* soap and detergent plants;
* construction sites, especially those engaged in sandblasting, drilling and/or the use of jackhammers;
* foundries;
* mines;
* railroads and ship yards;
* stone work sites.
Silicosis - Industrial Killer
Silicosis kills more than 250 workers a year, but the disease is 100 percent preventable with the proper safety measures. The disease is especially dangerous because it takes so long to manifest - up to 20 years in some workers.
Silicosis is a lung disease, so symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pains, fever, loss of appetite, and a severe cough. In addition, the presence of silica in the lungs often causes an autoimmune disorder, leaving workers more vulnerable to other lung ailments such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. A thorough medical examination, including chest X-ray, lung capacity testing and other modalities, is needed for a complete silicosis diagnosis.
The three varieties of silicosis include chronic silicosis (usually after a decade or more of exposure to silica dust), acute silicosis (with high exposures; may develop anywhere from weeks to five years after exposure), and accelerated silicosis (developing over five to ten years). The severity of silicosis in a given worker depends on the level and repetition of the occupational exposure.
What Is Being Done?
OSHA and MSHA rules do apply to silica exposure at work sites. OSHA has set an exposure limit that specifies the maximum amount of permissible silica exposure during an eight-hour shift.
In addition, OSHA and MSHA both require employers to provide appropriate measures to prevent silica exposures. These include, but are not limited to, proper record keeping, providing respiratory protection devices to workers, and posting appropriate warnings to workers who may be exposed to silica dust in their jobs. It is important for workers who work in dusty conditions to take the proper precautions against silicosis and other silica-related occupational diseases.
If you are suffering from a work-related illness from silica exposure, seek the proper medical attention immediately. Consult with an experienced silica attorney to determine whether you have a case. You may be eligible to recover monetary compensation and other damages in relation to the effects of industrial silica exposure.
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
- Is Debt Settlement Legal
- Debt Settlement Legal Letters
- Debt settlement legal
- Advantages of Legal Funding in Ohio
- Need to Know Facts Regarding Lawsuit Settlement Loans
- Use a Settlement Loan as a No-Risk Legal Financing Method
- Legal Issues To Be Taken Care For Structured Settlement
- Learn About a Lawsuit Pre-Settlement Loan




Quit smoking now
By: Razvan | 10/11/2009Some tips on quitting smoking
yeast infection in men
By: Vince Mcneil | 10/11/2009Over-the-counter Yeast Infection medication : What you must Know About Them Yeast Infection in women is a typical condition. Each female, especially in her reproductive years, experiences a vaginal yeast infection at least once or twice in her life. Though it is a condition that everybody experiences, it still can be quite embarrassing to ask friends about it, or to see a doctor for doubt that they may judge you and your condition. However, consider this medical fact : Many condi...
Quitting smoking
By: Razvan | 10/11/2009Quitting smoking can be hard but it surely isn't impossible
Senior Care North Carolina - Improving the Quality of Life for Family Caregivers
By: Greg Brewer | 10/11/2009For family members caring for their sick or elderly loved ones, staying healthy and positive is a constant struggle. Many family caregivers suffer from poor health, stress and mental anguish. Fortunately, there are many ways for family caregivers to avoid these problems.
The Main Causes of Wrinkles
By: Jimmy Carey | 10/11/2009Wrinkling and undergoing old age are two of the most talked about matters of womanhood. For past centuries, society has dictated women to be beautiful. If only there is timeless charm, or if only ugliness will become the reigning attribute, then there is no more complaint. Women have to please the world and
The Endless War on Aging
By: Jimmy Carey | 10/11/2009It is a known fact that everything ages. Planets, stars, animals, plants, and people go through this natural cycle of life. For some people, aging is considered something dreadful because it reveals ugly lines on the face, wrinkles on the skin and even white hair.
Basic Facts About Facial Cosmetic Surgery
By: Jimmy Carey | 10/11/2009Beyond all the truthful facts about aging and wrinkles, there is still an effective way of reducing them. There is no other way to reduce wrinkles and imperfections on the face than undergoing the painstaking trip to the doctor for cosmetic surgery.
The Most-Overlooked Key to Staying Young
By: Jimmy Carey | 10/11/2009Beyond anti-aging cosmetic treatments and products that only treat the skin tissues to fight the signs of premature aging, there is a way to ensure staying young and youthful and that is by nourishing your soul. Usually, when you think of anti-aging and staying youthful, the focus is primarily given to
Swiss Scientists Uncover Evidence That Avandia Increases Bone Fracture Risk in Patients
By: Alan Haburchak | 11/06/2008 | HealthSwiss scientists recently discovered a link between the consumption of Avandia, a type 2 diabetes treatment, and an increased risk of bone fracture as well as the development of advanced osteoporosis. The drug has been previously linked to heart complications but this is the first time that conclusive evidence has tied the drug to the bone condition.
Reports of Deaths Associated to Ortho-Evra "Patch"
By: Alan Haburchak | 23/05/2008 | HealthOrtho Evra is a rather new form of birth control that is available for women to use as a patch on their skin. However, reports are beginning to surface about the risks of the Ortho Evra patch that may have been responsible for at least 23 deaths due to the increase risk of developing blood clots within the body.
Hedging Strategies Can Reduce Investment Losses
By: Alan Haburchak | 22/05/2008 | LawWhile hedging is considered to be "risky business" among many stockbrokers, if a broker does not offer a hedging strategy to a client and the client then loses money, that stockbroker is held accountable. Often hedging is not offered to clients because a stockbroker will claim that the client is not sophisticated enough to fully comprehend the strategy and risk.
Manufacturers of Type 2 Diabetes Prescription Drug Receive FDA Warning For Failure to Report Avandia
By: Alan Haburchak | 20/05/2008 | HealthThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning to GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Avandia, a type 2 diabetes drug. The warning was issued after a routine inspection turned up evidence that information from clinical trials of the drug had been withheld from the FDA. Avandia has created a controversy as it has been linked to an increase of heart disease and early onset osteoporosis.
Common Sense Can Prevent Bicycle Crashes
By: Alan Haburchak | 18/05/2008 | CarsEvery six hours, one bicyclist is said to be killed on average. Most bicycle accidents are highly avoidable and can be prevented through taking proper safety measures. The number one killer of bicyclists are collision accidents, which account for 75 to 80 percent of accidents.
1.7 Million Exposed To Silica
By: Alan Haburchak | 18/05/2008 | HealthSilica is the world's second most common mineral and it is also an extremely damaging mineral that, when inhaled, can cause lung cancer, tuberculosis, renal failure, etc. Silica dust exists in many work environments and hundreds of employees work in and around it without knowledge of the extreme danger they are in. It is important to know the effects of silica to protect oneself.
Automobile Accidents and Insurance: No Fault and At Fault Systems
By: Alan Haburchak | 18/05/2008 | CarsWhen an automobile accident occurs, it can be a frightening and confusing situation, which is why it is imperative for individuals to know the law and preexisting "fault" situations for the state an individual lives in. Not one state has a completely "no fault" policy, but almost all states and insurances vary in coverage and in the laws.
Trasylol Story A Sea Change For Medical Community
By: Alan Haburchak | 12/05/2008 | HealthTrasylol-Aprotinin, an injectable drug used to stop bleeding for patients undergoing surgical procedures such like heart or kidney disease, was once praised as being a perfectly safe drug. However, additional studies and research proved otherwise causing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to warn doctors of the adverse side effects of the drug that include renal failure.