Silica Exposure Estimates in Artificial Stone Benchtop Fabrication and Adverse Respiratory Outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Silicosis is being increasingly reported among young stonemasons in the artificial stone (AS) benchtop fabrication and installation industry. Respiratory health screening, which included a job and exposure history, a chest X-ray (CXR), a respiratory health questionnaire, and gas transfer testing, were offered to stonemasons in Victoria, Australia. Workers typically reported a variety of tasks, including cleaning and labouring, which made exposure assessment complex. We estimated the relative respirable crystalline silica exposure intensity of each job from the proportion of time using AS and the proportion of time doing dry work (work without water suppression). The relative average intensity of exposure for up to five jobs was calculated. Cumulative exposure was calculated as the sum of t

SUBMITTER: Glass DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8751787 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature