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more_legal_areas silicosisSilicosis is a scarring and hardening of lung tissue, resulting from inhalation of crystalline silica. Most silicosis victims worked for extended periods in jobs that involve exposure to airborne silica. While silicosis is a fairly rare condition among the American population as a whole, over 300 silicosis victims die each year on average in this country.
Silica, the mineral linked to silicosis, is the second most common mineral in the earth’s crust, found in sand and rock. Silicosis victims mainly come from occupations that involve crushing, cutting, or blasting rock. Many patients with silicosis previously worked in close contact with rock, sand, or concrete without the proper protection against silicosis. Miners, quarry workers, sandblasters, and foundry workers are among those most frequently diagnosed with silicosis, although workers in agriculture, construction, ceramics, glass manufacturing, stone cutting, and railroading are also endangered.
Silicosis occurs when particles of crystalline silica are inhaled and irritate the lining of the lungs; silicosis is the end of a chain reaction set off by the inhalation of silica dust. Silicosis victims suffer from inflamed lungs with fibrous nodules created to trap the silica. Victims of silicosis can experience agonizing pain in breathing when the nodules grow large or coalesce. Because silicosis develops over many years, it can be twenty to forty years before an individual’s silicosis is diagnosed. The disease continues to progress even after exposure has ended, so that silicosis generally worsens after diagnosis. There is as yet no known cure for silicosis, and most treatments are intended to increase the comfort of the patient. Combating severe silicosis is almost futile, although in some cases, a lung transplant may prove effective in end-stage silicosis patients.
There are well-established guidelines that job sites are required to follow to prevent silica exposure. Silicosis often results from the lack of safeguards required by OSHA and other regulatory committees. A silicosis victim may be entitled to collect the costs of treatment, lost wages, and punitive damages; silicosis attorneys with experience in representing victims of silicosis and their families may be able to help you determine the best course of action.
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