Silicosis: A Growing Crisis Impacting Australia’s Workforce

21 February 2023

What is Silicosis?

Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust, a mineral present in common materials such as sand, stone, brick, cement, quartz, soil, mortar and some engineered stone products.

A Growing Crisis

While silicosis is the oldest occupational lung disease, cases continue to surge as a result of high concentration of crystalline silica dust in manufactured or engineered stone. Silicosis has been the subject of a number of workplace investigations Australia-wide for many years, dubbed as the ‘asbestos of the 21st Century’. What differentiates silicosis from asbestosis is the latency period or time between exposure and the onset of the disease. Silicosis develops much faster and can render young workers unable to provide or care for their families, eventually becoming reliant on oxygen with significantly reduced life expectancy.

Who is most likely to be at risk?

Workers in the construction industry are more likely to be at risk. Common tasks where you may be exposed to silica dust include:

Stone masonry and/or stone cutting
Construction and demolition
Mining, quarrying and tunneling
Sand blasting

If you work in an industry where you’re frequently exposed to dust or other harmful particles, there’s a chance you could be getting sick from what you’re breathing in. Whether or not you develop the disease will depend on a variety of factors, including how much silica is found within the dust you are exposed to and the precautions taken to limit exposure.

What are the symptoms of silicosis?

Depending on the level of exposure to silica, symptoms of silicosis could take years to develop.
Some of the most common symptoms associated with silicosis include:

Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
Chest pain
Fatigue
Dry cough

Along with the silicosis diagnosis, people who are exposed to this disease have a greater likelihood of developing other serious conditions. These can include:

Tuberculosis
Emphysema
Lung cancer
Chest infections
Kidney damage

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Have you been exposed to silica dust?

If you’ve been exposed and suffer from silicosis or a silica-related disease, you may be eligible for compensation.

At GMP Law, we claim damages for pain and suffering, economic loss both past and future and medical expenses, along with domestic assistance damages to compensate you for your loss of independence due to your debilitating disease

While there are calls to ban engineered stone into the future, for many of our hard working Aussies, it may be too late as the damage has already been done.

If you have been diagnosed with Silicosis or exposed in the course of your employment, please contact Gerard Malouf & Partners today on 1800 959 280.

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