Respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis. But does it also cause lung cancer? Although the risk of cancer in silicosis patients is more than double that in people without the disease, experts do not agree on whether silicosis is a necessary pre-cursor for the development of a tumour. In 1997 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a controversial report stating that crystalline silica inhaled in the form of quartz or cristobalite from occupational sources is carcinogenic to humans. The analysis of many epidemiological studies concluded that mining and quarrying have only minor effect in the development of lung cancer, but in manufacturing industries, notably those which entail high temperature processes, the effect is significant. If this report will be universally accepted it could have far-reaching implications for many industries, especially those concerned with the built environment. This issue gives the opinions of various experts, including some who were on the IARC working party, and therefore is an indispensable contribution for those interested in this controversial debate.
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978-3-8055-6979-8 (9783805569798)
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Part 1 Editorial: the controversial issue of silica and lung cancer. Part 2 Introduction: crystalline silica - occurrence and use; the importance of silica to the modern world. Part 3 Occupational exposure: respirable dust and respirable silica concentrations from construction activities. Part 4 Lessons from mechanistic studies: the quartz hazard in the construction industry; regulation of crystalline silica - where next?. Part 5 Epidemiology: crystalline silica and lung cancer - the problem of conflicting evidence; methodologcial issues related to studies of workers in the diatomaceous earth industry; smoking and occupational lung disease epidemiology. Part 6 Legislation and legal implications: research and policy implications of IARC's classification of silica as a type 1 carcinogen; the impact of funding, purchase and lease agreements on the use of construction materials; conference calendar.
