Silicosis

Silicosis is a long-term lung disease that is caused by inhaling (breathing in) silica dust. Silica is a mineral found in soil, sand and many natural rocks.

Silica is also used in artificial (engineered or manufactured) stone and other construction materials. Artificial stone contains more silica than natural stone. It's often used for benchtops in kitchens and bathrooms.

Once inside your lungs, the silica dust particles can damage and scar your lungs. This scarring makes the lungs less flexible, making it hard to breathe.

There is no cure for silicosis and it can be fatal (lead to death).

From January 2025, engineered stone has been completely banned in Australia because of the risk of silicosis. This includes a ban on all engineered stone imports.

In the early stages of silicosis, there may be no symptoms.

Some common symptoms of silicosis are:

• ongoing shortness of breath
• persistent or chronic cough
• weakness and tiredness
• chest pain
• weight loss

The symptoms slowly get worse over time, even if you stop breathing in silica dust. Eventually, simple activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, may become difficult. You might also have trouble sleeping and eating properly.

If you work with materials that contain silica and don't use proper protective equipment, you can breathe in fine dust particles. Your body can clear some of this dust, but if you inhale a large amount over time, your lungs can't cope.

Working regularly with products that are high in silica can lead to a build-up of dust in the lungs, which eventually causes damage.

Types of silicosis

There are 3 types of silicosis, based on the type of exposure and how your lungs are affected:

• Acute silicosis — this develops within weeks or months of exposure to very high levels of silica dust.
• Accelerated silicosis — due to exposure to large amounts of silica dust for less than 10 years.
• Chronic silicosis — due to exposure to low levels of silica dust for more than 10 years.

Chronic silicosis is less common. Acute silicosis is also rare. The risk of getting accelerated silicosis has started to rise recently. This might be due to the widespread use of artificial stone in kitchens and bathrooms.

Who is at risk of silicosis?

You can be exposed to silica dust if you work with building and construction materials, such as:

• brick
• cement
• mortar
• grout
• bitumen

You can also be exposed if you work with stone and mineral products, such as:

• artificial stone products
• granite
• quartz
• sand
• soil
• stone

If your work involves any of these materials, you may be at risk of developing silicosis. Speak to your workplace health and safety officer about ways to protect yourself.

Not everyone who works with silica dust develops silicosis. The chances of getting silicosis depend on:

• how much silica dust you come into contact with
• how long you were exposed to it for

If you are exposed to silica dust at work your employer should provide health monitoring.

If you are not part of an occupational health monitoring program, see your doctor and tell them about your exposure to silica dust and if you use safety equipment.

Make an urgent appointment with your doctor if you develop symptoms of silicosis, especially if you currently work with, or have previously worked with, products that create silica dust.

To work out if you have silicosis, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. They will examine you and listen to your lungs.

The doctor may send you to a lung specialist and order tests such as:

• a chest x-ray
• a CT scan of your chest
• lung function testing
• blood tests
• a 6-minute walk exercise test
• bronchoscopy and biopsy
• ultrasound scan

If you have silicosis, the damage to your lungs cannot be reversed. It is also hard to predict how quickly your symptoms will progress (get worse).

Your doctor might recommend treatments to help with your breathing, such as:

• an inhaler
• medicine to help slow the scarring in your lungs (anti-fibrotic medicine)
• cough suppressants
• oxygen therapy if you have a low level of oxygen in your blood
• a specialist procedure to wash out your lungs (lung lavage)

In advanced cases, you might need a lung transplant.

Living with silicosis can be challenging. The damage to your lungs cannot be reversed and it's hard to predict how quickly symptoms may get worse. While there is no cure, there are things you can do to reduce complications and improve your quality of life, such as:

• avoid further exposure to silica dust
• quit smoking or vaping
• eat well
• stay active or start exercising
• keep up to date with your vaccinations

It's common to feel overwhelmed. Getting mental health support can help you manage your feelings and live well with a chronic condition like silicosis.

These steps can make a positive difference to how you feel each day. They can also help you manage your condition more easily.

Exposure to silica dust and silicosis can lead to other serious health problems and lung infections, such as:

• bronchitis
• emphysema
• lung cancer
• tuberculosis (TB)
• kidney damage

Silicosis can be prevented by:

• avoiding prolonged exposure to silica dust
• wearing effective protective equipment, such as masks
• wetting down tools and materials to suppress dust
• using tools that have dust-collecting attachments

All workplaces, employers and employees in Australia must follow workplace health and safety procedures. These regulations give guidance on how to prevent silicosis. Ask your employer about personal breathing equipment if you are going to be exposed to silica dust.

Workplace monitoring schemes help to identify silicosis early, even before you have any symptoms.

Visit Lung Foundation Australia (Opens in new tab) for more information about lung health and support services, such as silicosis support nurses (Opens in new tab), silicosis social work program (Opens in new tab) and peer support groups (Opens in new tab).

If you have silicosis, you may be able to get compensation. To learn more, visit the Safe Work Australia website (Opens in new tab) and speak with your employer.

If you want to know more about silicosis or need advice on what to do next, you can call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Languages other than English

Lung Foundation Australia has a fact sheet on living with silicosis (Opens in new tab) in several community languages.

Safe Work Australia (Opens in new tab) has information on working with silica-containing products in several languages, including Chinese, Arabic, Greek, Italian and Vietnamese.