"I was there diggin' that tunnel for six bits a day; didn't know
I was diggin' my own grave. Silicosis eatin' my lungs
away."—"Silicosis is Killin' Me," Alan Lomax
Respirable silica, a material present in cement construction
products, including roof tiles, has been a known occupational
health hazard for more than a century. However, because symptoms
associated with respirable silica often mimic other diseases,
silicosis, the disease caused by respirable silica, often is
misdiagnosed. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) has undertaken studies to determine how to protect
roofing workers from suffering deadly diseases related to
respirable silica.
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