A newly published study of a large population of Chinese tin and pottery
workers has found that exposure to airborne silica dust is associated with a
significant increase in the risk of developing lung cancer. The study, printed
in the American Journal of Epidemiology, measured cumulative silica exposure in
a group of more than 30,000 workers over a 44-year period. These findings,
which confirm that silica is a human carcinogen, are consistent with the
preliminary risk assessment in OSHA's new proposed rule to protect workers from
occupational exposure to crystalline silica, and have important implications
for public health.

The findings confirm silica as a human carcinogen and suggest that current
exposure limits in many countries might be insufficient to protect workers from
lung cancer. They also indicate that smoking cessation could help reduce lung
cancer risk for silica-exposed individuals.

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AplusA-online.de - Source: American Journal of Epidemiology