Abstract
Introduction: Artificial stone is an increasingly popular building material used to produce kitchen and bathroom benchtops. This material has a silica content of >90%. Cutting and grinding artificial stone is associated with generation of very high levels of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and the frequency of cases of severe accelerated silicosis associated with this exposure is increasing rapidly.
Aim: To report the change in respiratory function over time in a clinical series of Australian workers with artificial stone associated silicosis.
Methods: Respiratory physicians voluntarily reported cases of artificial stone associated silicosis identified in their clinical practises. Physicians provided information including occupational histories, respiratory function tests, chest radiology and histopathology reports.
Results: 5 male patients were identified with a median age of 44 years (range 26-57). All were employed in small kitchen and bathroom benchtop fabrication businesses with between 2 and 10 employees. All workplaces primarily used artificial stone. All patients were involved in dry cutting artificial stone. The median duration of exposure prior to symptoms was 7 years (range 4-10). Over a follow up period of 24 months (range 8-47 months), the mean rate of pre-bronchodilator FEV1 decline was 429 ml/year (range 246-788ml) and FVC decline per year was 503 ml/year (range 180-994ml).
Conclusion: The observed rate of lung function decline in this series of Australian workers with artificial stone associated silicosis far exceeds the expected rate of decline in a healthy adult population. Further research regarding this emerging occupational lung disease is urgently required.
- Copyright ©the authors 2017
