Severe Silicosis in Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers — California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington, 2017–2019
| Autor: | Robbie Sooriash, Jenna Wolff, Amy Heinzerling, Nicholas K. Reul, Cecile S. Rose, Ronda B. McCarthy, Carolyn K. Reeb-Whitaker, Claire R. LaSee, Jennifer Flattery, Justine Lew Weinberg, David N. Weissman, Brian Korotzer, Ketki Patel, Joshua Potocko, Lauren M. Zell-Baran, Kirk D. Jones, Emily Hall, Ganesh Raghu, Barbara L. Materna, Coralynn Sack, Heidi Bojes, Robert Harrison |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Washington medicine.medical_specialty Engineered stone Colorado Manufactured Materials Health (social science) Tuberculosis Epidemiology Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Silicosis Lung biopsy Severity of Illness Index 01 natural sciences California 03 medical and health sciences Fatal Outcome 0302 clinical medicine Health Information Management Occupational Exposure Manufacturing Industry medicine Humans Full Report 030212 general & internal medicine 0101 mathematics Occupational lung disease Lung cancer Latent tuberculosis business.industry 010102 general mathematics General Medicine Middle Aged respiratory system medicine.disease Texas Dermatology Female business Kidney disease |
| Zdroj: | Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |
| ISSN: | 1545-861X 0149-2195 |
| DOI: | 10.15585/mmwr.mm6838a1 |
| Popis: | Silicosis is an incurable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling particles of respirable crystalline silica. These particles trigger inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs, leading to progressive, irreversible, and potentially disabling disease. Silica exposure is also associated with increased risk for lung infection (notably, tuberculosis), lung cancer, emphysema, autoimmune diseases, and kidney disease (1). Because quartz, a type of crystalline silica, is commonly found in stone, workers who cut, polish, or grind stone materials can be exposed to silica dust. Recently, silicosis outbreaks have been reported in several countries among workers who cut and finish stone slabs for countertops, a process known as stone fabrication (2-5). Most worked with engineered stone, a manufactured, quartz-based composite material that can contain >90% crystalline silica (6). This report describes 18 cases of silicosis, including the first two fatalities reported in the United States, among workers in the stone fabrication industry in California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington. Several patients had severe progressive disease, and some had associated autoimmune diseases and latent tuberculosis infection. Cases were identified through independent investigations in each state and confirmed based on computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest or lung biopsy findings. Silica dust exposure reduction and effective regulatory enforcement, along with enhanced workplace medical and public health surveillance, are urgently needed to address the emerging public health threat of silicosis in the stone fabrication industry. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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