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Silica and silicosis- sound similar, don't they? That is because they share a cause and effect relationship. Silica is the second most common mineral found in the earth's crust and is contained mainly in sand, rock and mineral ores. It is an aero gel, which can be converted into various forms under pressure. Silica is highly poisonous when inhaled. Hence it is extremely essential to be very careful when working with silica. Inhalation of silica causes an incurable, progressive lung disease which is finally fatal. It results in a very slow and painful death of the person suffering from silicosis. In order to work around silica safely, one needs to have adequate knowledge as to how to protect oneself from contracting silicosis. Contraction of silicosis is particularly common among construction workers as they are constantly working around dust, which has a high concentration of silica. If proper care is taken, silicosis is completely preventable but you should know exactly how to prevent silica from entering your system. Silica is found during sand blasting, rock drilling, cutting and drilling through sandstone and granite. It can also be found in high concentration in industries manufacturing glass, abrasives and soaps and detergents. Also people whose jobs involve removing paint and rust from building, bridges and tanks are at a higher at contracting silicosis. Jobs like glass etching and clean foundry casting also prove to cause silicosis. Silicosis is mainly of 3 kinds depending upon the degree of exposure to silica. Chronic silicosis- this is a kind of silicosis that occurs after 10 years of over-exposure to silica but a chest ex-ray may not be able to detect silicosis in a person even after 15 to 20 years of exposure to silica. Silica dust in the lungs causes the body's immunity power to get reduced and hence the resistance power of the person to fight infections like tuberculosis will diminish. Shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, chest pains and fever are some of the symptoms a person suffering with silicosis shows. Accelerated silicosis-It occurs in the case of higher exposure to silica and develops over a period of 5 to 10 years. Acute silicosis- acute silicosis occurs when the degree of exposure to silica is the highest and the symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, and cough, loss of appetite, chest pains and fever start showing within weeks or 5 years of contracting the diseases. On being over exposed to silica the best thing to do is to get yourself thoroughly examined by a lung specialist who will take chest x-rays and lung function tests. It is most recommendable for a person having exposure to silica to get himself tested for silicosis every 3 years. If you are in the profession in which you fear exposure to silica, see to it that you take adequate precautionary steps to protect yourself from contracting silicosis. You can do this by water hosing or vacuuming the area of work in order to rid it of excess dust. Also, as a safety measure, you must wear approved particulate respirators and work with your boss to eliminate the risk of contracting silicosis by trying to keep the work area as dust free as possible. Like you read before, silicosis is an incurable and progressive lung disease, which can prove to be fatal. Therefore, the people working in environments where the silica content is high, it is most advisable to safeguard themselves from the disease to the best of their ability. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED, YOU NEED THE LAW FIRM OF BOURGAULT & HARDING CALL 800.880.1438 Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved Bourgault & Harding, A Law Firm 1100 East Bridger Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101 tel 702.384.8023 fax 702.384.5731 Nevada Silicosis Attorneys Disclaimer: The Las Vegas Auto Accidents, and Big-Rig Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Airplane Accidents, Bus & Train Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Boating & Watercraft Accidents, Swimming Pool Accidents, Amusement Park Accidents, Construction Site Accidents, Drunk Driver Accidents, Defective Roads Accidents, Wrongful Death, Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Burn Injury, Animal Attacks/Dog Bite, Slip and Fall Accidents, Premises Liability, Dangerous Drugs Litigation, Defective Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice, Legal Malpractice, Product Liability, Toxic Substances in Nevada. Please contact a Nevada Personal Injury Lawyer, Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of Nevada. ©2006 The Law Offices of Bourgault & Harding. Las Vegas, Nevada Personal Injury Lawyers, serving the communities of: Las Vegas, Clark County Nevada. 
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