Silica, Silicosis and Cancer Controversy in Occupational Medicine

Summary: Physicians and industrial hygienists in the U.S. and Europe have assumed that silica, a known toxic dust which causes diseases such as silicosis and corpulmonale, does not cause cancer. However the evidence presented in this volume, drawn from a 1984 symposium on the subject of silica and cancer, suggests that there is a strong link between cancer and silica in the workplace. This book discusses the full range of wor...k being done on silica and cancer, including a history of studies on the silica-cancer relationship; experiments describing the carcinogenic effect of silica on animals; up-to-date reports on the risks of lung cancer; the need for protective measures against particulate exposure, and epidemologic research on workers in the so-called dusty trades. Silica, Silicosis and Cancer also offers suggestions for changes and regulation of industries using silica. [read more]