Silica dust is created when materials like stone, rocks, sand, or clay are cut, crushed, ground, polished or drilled. Breathing in this dust can increase your risk of silicosis. Some workplaces have a higher risk, including construction, mining, tunnelling, manufacturing or quarrying.
How much silica dust and how long you breathe it in can impact the type of silicosis you may develop. Silicosis can develop if you breathe in high levels of silica dust over weeks or months, or if you have exposure to smaller amounts of dust over several years.
Causes
Silicosis is an occupational lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust. This causes inflammation in your lungs, which can lead to scarring over time. This makes your lungs stiffen, and it becomes harder to breathe.
Breathing in silica dust can also cause:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Lung cancer
- Kidney disease
- Scleroderma and other autoimmune conditions
- An increased risk of infections such as tuberculosis and fungal diseases.
Symptoms
People with silicosis don’t usually have any symptoms in the early stages of the disease. If it does progress, you may develop symptoms slowly, even if you aren’t exposed to silica dust anymore.
Common symptoms of silicosis include:
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Tiredness
- Chest pain
- Weight loss.
Stages
The way silicosis progresses can be different for everyone. It depends on several factors, including whether you currently smoke or have ever smoked. Your respiratory physician (lung specialist) can tell you about your case and check how it’s going.
Getting a diagnosis
If you work around silica dust, your employer is legally required to arrange and pay for health monitoring. This involves regular check-ups by a certified doctor to monitor any health changes related to your work. You should be referred to a respiratory physician to confirm a diagnosis if changes are detected.
If you no longer work with that employer, talk to your doctor about your work history and symptoms. They’ll probably send you to a lung specialist to confirm a diagnosis.
You may need several tests before your lung specialist can reach a diagnosis, including:
- Physical exam
- Lung function tests (breathing tests to measure how well your lungs work)
- Chest x-ray
- High-resolution CT (HRCT) scans
- Blood tests
- Bronchoscopy (a camera that looks for infection or inflammation in your lungs).
Workplace exposure checklist
Use our checklist to help you talk to your doctor about harmful workplace exposures, like asbestos. It’ll help you remember each of the important things to talk about.
Recently diagnosed with silicosis
If you’ve just found out you have silicosis, it might feel like a lot to deal with. We’re here to help you take things step by step to understand what’s happening and how you might be feeling, and to connect you to support.
You may have lots of questions for your doctor. Our blog provides helpful suggestions for your upcoming appointment.
Treatment
While there’s currently no cure or treatment for silicosis, there are ways you can manage your symptoms and even slow its progress. Our living with an occupational lung disease page includes additional non-medical options. Your doctor will help you find the best options for your situation.
These include:
- Medications:
- Anti-fibrotic medication: These anti-scarring tablets used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis can also help some people with progressive silicosis.
- Inhaled reliever medication: These can help if you also have asthma, COPD or another lung disease.
- Inhaled corticosteroids: These can help if you also have another lung disease.
- Whole lung lavage: This procedure is currently being trialled in Australia. Your respiratory physician may consider it a possible treatment for you. It involves a general anaesthetic and flushing several litres of a salt-water solution through each lung. The aim is to wash out damaging silica crystals.
- Oxygen therapy: If you regularly have low blood oxygen levels, your respiratory physician may prescribe oxygen therapy.
In rare cases, a lung transplant may also be an option. However, it’s a major procedure. Your respiratory physician can discuss its suitability, risks and benefits with you.
Clinical trials are also an option for some people with silicosis. Ask your respiratory physician about any clinical trials that you could participate in.
Living with silicosis
Even though most occupational lung diseases often can’t be cured, there are things you can do to manage your symptoms and improve how you feel. These include avoiding any further exposure, making healthier choices and exercising regularly. Find out more about living with silicosis with our fact sheet resource.
Occupational lung disease support nurse
Our experienced nurses provide information, support and care for people living with occupational lung disease, their families and carers. Call 1800 654 301 for a free telephone appointment or book online.
Resources
Living with silicosis fact sheet
Living with occupational lung disease booklet
Occupational lung disease and compensation resource
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