Silica and asbestos are both dangerous occupational hazards capable of causing severe, often fatal lung diseases. However, many public health experts now warn that silica exposure is driving a faster-growing and more widespread health crisis, particularly among workers in engineered stone fabrication, construction, and mining.
When silica dust is inhaled, it causes silicosis, an irreversible and progressive scarring of lung tissue that can also lead to lung cancer, COPD, and autoimmune diseases. What makes silicosis particularly alarming is how quickly it develops. In environments with high levels of exposure, the disease can appear within a few months to a few years.
Asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, by contrast, typically take 20 to 50 years to develop, and asbestos use has been heavily restricted in many countries. Silica continues to be prevalent in contemporary work environments, particularly in engineered stone products, which can contain silica concentrations ranging from 90% to 95%.
Because silicosis is both progressive and incurable, silica exposure constitutes a persistent epidemic, rather than a remnant danger.
If you or a family member worked with engineered stone or other high-silica materials and have been diagnosed with silicosis, we encourage you to contact us. Atraxia Law has over three decades of experience evaluating toxic exposure and liability claims, and our team will carefully analyze whether you are eligible for financial compensation from those responsible for your condition.