27 octobre, 2006 15:16

JOB HAZARD

Some facts about silica and silicosis: • Common mineral: Silicosis is a lung disease caused by the accumulation of particles of silica, the second most common mineral on earth.

• Miners exposed: Industrial mining in the 19th century ushered in an era of significant occupational exposure to silica.

• 'Widowmaker': One mass exposure took place in Delamar, Nev., in the 1890s, which earned the nickname "Widowmaker" because of hundreds of silicosis deaths caused by dry mining techniques used to separate gold from quartzite.

• 1930s tragedy: The worst incident happened in the 1930s as workers drilled through a mountain to create the the Hawk's Nest tunnel near Gauley Bridge, W.Va. An estimated 1,000 workers got sick or died from silica exposure.