Finding of Emergency Section 5204 , Occupational Exposures to Respirable Crystalline Silica Business Meeting : December 14 , 2023 Page 8 of 36
transplantation , which has a five-year survival rate of 59 %. 21 Twenty-three patients ( 45 %) reported that their shops had used water to suppress dust in an effort to prevent employee exposure to RCS . 22
8 ) Similar cases of silicosis in this industry are occurring worldwide .
In addition to California , silicosis cases have appeared in other U . S . states and other nations among workers in the artificial stone fabrication industry . 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 Many of the affected workers were young and experienced a rapid onset of severe silicosis . The silicosis prevalence rate among artificial stone fabrication workers in California and worldwide is between 12 % and 21 %.
28 , 29 , 30
9 ) Workers in this industry are uniquely vulnerable .
The evidence to date suggests that in California , 98 % of the workers with silicosis in this industry are Latino men ; most are foreign-born . Spanish or an indigenous language is their primary language . About 20 % are uninsured , and 40 % are covered under restricted-scope Medi-Cal , meaning they are able to access emergency medical care only . 31 Nearly half of UCLA ’ s Olive View Medical Center ’ s 52 patients ( 48 %) presented initially to an emergency department . A delay in diagnosing silicosis occurred in 58 % of these patients , who were mistakenly
21
Bos S , et al . Survival in adult lung transplantation : where are we in 2020 ? Curr Opin Organ Transplant . 2020 ; 25 ( 3 ): 268-273 . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 32332197 /. Accessed November 2 , 2023 .
22
Fazio J , et . al . ( 2023 ), ibid . https :// jamanetwork . com / journals / jamainternalmedicine / article-abstract / 2807615 .
23
Heinzerling A , et al . Radiographic screening reveals high burden of silicosis among workers at an engineered stone countertop fabrication facility in California . Am J Respir Crit Care Med . 2021 ; 203 ( 6 ): 764‐766 . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 33207123 /. Accessed May 8 , 2023 .
24
Leso V , et al . Artificial stone associated silicosis : a systematic review . Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2019 ; 16 ( 4 ): 568 . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 30781462 /. Accessed May 8 , 2023 .
25
Rose C , Heinzerling A , Patel K , et al . Severe silicosis in engineered stone fabrication workers — California , Colorado , Texas , and Washington , 2017 – 2019 . MMWR 2019 ; 68 ( 38 ): 813‐818 . https :// www . cdc . gov / mmwr / volumes / 68 / wr / mm6838a1 . htm . Accessed May 9 , 2023 .
26
Tustin AW , et al . An outbreak of work‐related asthma and silicosis at a US countertop manufacturing and fabrication facility . Am J Ind Med . 2021 ; 65 ( 1 ): 12‐19 . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 34671999 /. Accessed May 8 , 2023 .
27
Paolucci V , et al . Silicosis in workers exposed to artificial quartz conglomerates : does it differ from chronic simple silicosis ? Arch Bronconeumol . 2015 ; 51 ( 12 ): e57‐e60 https :// archbronconeumol . org / en-silicosis-trabajadoresexpuestos-conglomerados-artificiales-articulo-S1579212915001883 . Accessed May 9 , 2023 .
28
Heinzerling A , et al ( 2021 ). Radiographic screening . op . cit . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 33207123 /.
29
Hoy RF , et al . Identification of early‐stage silicosis through health screening of stone benchtop industry workers in Victoria , Australia . Occup Environ Med . 2021 ; 78 ( 4 ): 296‐302 . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 33115923 /. Accessed May 10 , 2023 .
30
Newbigin K , et al . Stonemasons with silicosis : preliminary findings and a warning message from Australia . Respirology . 2019 ; 24 ( 12 ): 1220‐1221 . https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 31407419 /. Accessed May 9 . 2023 .
31
Fazio J , et . al . ( 2023 ). Silicosis Among Immigrant . op . cit . https :// jamanetwork . com / journals / jamainternalmedicine / article-abstract / 2807615 .