A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States

Silicosis may be defined as the disease resulting from chronic occupational exposure to silica dust. Silica is primarily composed of quartz dust and has been classified since 2000 as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government. Silicosis may lead to impairment of lung function resulting from fib...

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Main Authors: Carson R. Thomas, Timothy R. Kelley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2010-01-01
Series:Environmental Health Insights
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4137/EHI.S4628
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author Carson R. Thomas
Timothy R. Kelley
author_facet Carson R. Thomas
Timothy R. Kelley
author_sort Carson R. Thomas
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description Silicosis may be defined as the disease resulting from chronic occupational exposure to silica dust. Silica is primarily composed of quartz dust and has been classified since 2000 as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government. Silicosis may lead to impairment of lung function resulting from fibrosis of the lungs. This may in turn lead to an increased susceptibility to the development of tuberculosis. Respirable particles are in the size range of less than one micrometer to as large as 30 micrometers. Silicosis is an untreatable, but preventable disease. This review explores the history of silicosis in the U.S. mining industry, including case studies of occupational silicosis.
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spelling doaj-art-ad1d24497ff64a4e89a3503f676a279d2025-08-20T02:16:49ZengSAGE PublishingEnvironmental Health Insights1178-63022010-01-01410.4137/EHI.S4628A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United StatesCarson R. Thomas0Timothy R. Kelley1Environmental Health sciences Program, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, north Carolina 27858, UsA.Environmental Health sciences Program, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, north Carolina 27858, UsA.Silicosis may be defined as the disease resulting from chronic occupational exposure to silica dust. Silica is primarily composed of quartz dust and has been classified since 2000 as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government. Silicosis may lead to impairment of lung function resulting from fibrosis of the lungs. This may in turn lead to an increased susceptibility to the development of tuberculosis. Respirable particles are in the size range of less than one micrometer to as large as 30 micrometers. Silicosis is an untreatable, but preventable disease. This review explores the history of silicosis in the U.S. mining industry, including case studies of occupational silicosis.https://doi.org/10.4137/EHI.S4628
spellingShingle Carson R. Thomas
Timothy R. Kelley
A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States
Environmental Health Insights
title A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States
title_full A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States
title_fullStr A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States
title_full_unstemmed A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States
title_short A Brief Review of Silicosis in the United States
title_sort brief review of silicosis in the united states
url https://doi.org/10.4137/EHI.S4628
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