Licensing Silicosis
Silicosis: The Killer in the Dust
Public awareness of silicosis has gained traction in recent years as journalists and medical experts expose the life changing impacts of the disease on the workers who build our schools, hospitals and homes.
Silicosis is a progressive illness that develops due to exposure to crystalline silica dust, often found in large quantities within engineered stone( commonly used within kitchen countertops and comprised of more than 90 % silica) and other construction materials. When inhaled, silica can cause inflammation and scarring on the lungs which leads to low oxygen levels in the blood, a consistent cough, shortness of breath and in some cases, death.
Symptoms of the disease can develop chronically after a long-term period of repeat moderate exposure to silica dust, or acutely within a few weeks following very high exposure levels, often resulting in a more severe inflammatory response from the lungs. There is no cure for the disease.
To those with insight into the symptoms of asbestos exposure, the nature of silicosis may sound familiar. Both diseases have much in common, including Britain’ s delayed action to protect the public from them.
Learning from asbestos, listening to Australia
Following the exposure of approximately 150,000 workers to the fibrous silica material that was linked to chronic inflammation, scarring and tumour growth within the lungs, Denmark was the first nation to institute a total ban of asbestos in 1986.
Conversely, asbestos was not banned in Britain for nearly another decade and due to asbestos’ latency period of 15 to 60 years, there are still over 5,000 deaths in the UK per year that are attributed to exposure dating back to the 1950s.
The first nation to institute a total ban of engineered stone was Australia in 2024, after the policy body responsible for developing workplace health and safety measures found that the Government and various industries had failed to ensure
86 www. britbuild-magazine. co. uk