Breathing In Granite Dust

His research has tracked the ravages of silicosis a deadly lung scarring disease caused by breathing granite dust.
Breathing in granite dust. William graham a retired university of vermont college of medicine professor and pulmonary health specialist has conducted long term health studies of barre granite workers. Respirable crystalline silica is a chemical compound present in stone dust soil granite and many other minerals. I decided to google how to get rid of granite dust and found your website thank you and even worse i found that granite contains silica. Is exposure to airborne concrete stone brick or granite dust hazardous to my health.
Though the practice of cutting and finishing granite into countertops appears safe and harmless the truth is the process poses a dangerous hazard in the form of silica dust. Federal and state authorities have passed laws requiring workers who cut or grind materials such as concrete brick stone or granite to wear respirators or other devices designed to protect them from breathing in these materials. Of course we also usually breathe through our noses which have tin. You ll find it in soil sand dust as well as in quartz and granite.
Dust particles get trapped in the mucus and we cough it up and out. 3 types of silicosis. Dust containing silica can be generated when cutting granite a popular building material used for kitchen and bathroom countertops and other. Breathing dust containing crystalline silica has also been linked to other diseases such as tuberculosis kidney disease and lung cancer.
As a dnp doctor of nursing practice i knew the health risks associated with this kind of exposure silicosis copd etc and silica is a known carcinogen. The settling of dust in the lungs increases with the length of time the breath is held and how deeply the breath is taken. Whether breathing is through the nose or mouth is also important. Posted december 8 2015 by jim orr.
It has been classified as a human lung carcinogen which can potentially cause silicosis. Symptoms can include fever weight loss and night sweats. Silicosis is a fatal long term lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust. Breathing rates and smoking are among the most important.