| VOLUME I, ISSUE V | FALL/WINTER 1998 | PAGE 1 |
| VOLUME I, ISSUE V | FALL/WINTER 1998 | PAGE 1 |
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| FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, we have been interviewing
construction workers who are treated in the George Washington University
Hospital emergency department about their on-the-job injuries and diseases.
In fact, if you are reading this, chances are that we have already talked to you. Almost all of the construction workers that we have spoken to have come to the emergency department because of a work-related injury. Our last three newsletters have focused on the types of injuries that result from lifting and straining and dropping things. We focus more on injuries than diseases because work-related diseases are less common than injuries, especially in an emergency department. And even if somebody feels ill, they don't always realize that it is because of some chemical exposure at work. So to raise awareness about work-related diseases, this issue is dedicated to chemical hazards in the construction trades. Unfortunately, there isn't enough space to cover all of them in a few pages, so we've started with silica dust, welding fumes, and chemicals that irritate your skin. For now, asbestos, tar, wood dust, reproductive toxins, lead, mercury, solvents, coolants, and methylene chloride (just to name a few) will have to wait. |
THE HEALTH PROBLEMS associated with breathing
in silica dust are not ground-breaking news. As far back as 1717,
an Italian doctor named Ramazzini wrote that "stone-cutters, sculptors,
quarrymen, and other such workers are usually troubled with a cough, and
some of them contract asthmatic affections and become comsumptive."
He also said that "when the bodies of such workers are dissected, they
have been found to be stuffed with small stones.
Because silica is found in sand and in so many rocks, masons and quarry workers aren't the only ones who work with it. Brick workers, cement workers, miners, drywall workers, foundry workers, jackhammer operators, tile installers, sand blasters, tunnel workers, and laborers work with it too. So does anybody else who somehow creates dust from rocks or sand that contain some form of silica. Cutting concrete and sand blasting are just two of the many high risk tasks in construction. So what is silica and why all the concern? Silica is a mineral and the major source of crystalline silica is quartz. |
SILICA DUST is very fine. It is small enough
to get into the bottom of your lungs where it clogs up the tiny little
air sacs. When those air sacs in your lungs are blocked, not enough
oxygen gets into your blood. And the more dust that you breathe in,
the worse the blockage.
After long-term exposure, it is common to cough and produce phlegm. In some cases, the lungs can become severly clogged, making it difficult to breathe. Sometimes, the lungs stop working altogether. You don't have to be exposed to silica dust for years
to develop silicosis. Symptoms can develop within weeks of exposure
to high levels of dust. So, prevention is important NOW.
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