Silicosis – Symptoms

Developing silicosis takes years of prolonged exposure to silica dust, and the early stages of silicosis goes unnoticed in many cases. The first symptoms are shortness of breath, fever, a change in skin color around the ear lobes and, development of a bluish tint on the lips. Patients suffering from silicosis are also more prone to other lung diseases, such as tuberculosis and bronchitis. Continued exposure to silica dust will lead to fatigue, chest pains, extreme shortness of breath, loss of appetite and respiratory failure – which can sometimes be fatal.

Depending on the level and length of exposure to silica dust, there are three types of silicosis which can manifest itself: chronic silicosis (develops after 10 or more years of exposure), accelerated silicosis (develops after 5 to 10 years of high exposure) and acute silicosis (develops after extremely high exposure within several weeks, but which can take up to 5 years). Of the three, chronic silicosis is the most common form of the disease and in many cases goes undiagnosed for many years.

Medical assessment or chest x-rays of sufferers of silicosis usually show the lungs filled with silica crystals. Pulmonary fibrosis, which is scar tissue that has formed in the lungs, may or may not develop in acute cases of silicosis. This all depends on the time between the exposure and the onset of symptoms.

Although the time scale between exposure and symptoms can be several years, cases have been brought against employers or former employers for negligence in preventing this disease. If you feel that you have contracted silicosis as a result of unreasonable exposure to dust, or as a result of a company’s failure to take proper precautions and warn its employees on correct safety procedure, you may have a case against them for compensation.