How exposure happens

Silica dust is invisible and becomes airborne easily it can be inhaled while performing any activity that disturbs materials, such as rock and sand, that contain silica. Since the dust is very light and can travel through the air long distances, it is possible to be exposed even if you are not in direct contact working with it. Smoking significantly increases your risk of developing silicosis.

Although the risk of illness increases with heavier exposure and longer exposure periods, many occurrences of silica-related disease have been traced to exposure periods of as little as one or two months.

Anyone exposed to silica dust under any of these circumstances who does not wear adequate protective gear and take proper precautions has an increased risk of developing a disease related to silica.

How the disease develops

When you inhale silica dust your body calls up defense mechanisms (macrophages) to try to attack the foreign matter (silica particles). But the crystalline silica particles end up destroying the defenses. As a result, your lungs begin to scar around the particles. This is called lung fibrosis or silicosis.

Silicosis usually appears in the upper lobes of the lung. X-ray show the scars as nodules (round masses). Because silicosis is irreversible, the scarring continues even after exposure stops. Eventually you begin to experience shortness of breath and breathing difficulty. See Symptoms. In the most severe cases the disease is fatal.