Fine dust particles are dangerous, especially if they are silica dust particles. Once inhaled, the powder can reduce lung capacity, increase overall stress on the heart, and cause a variety of diseases. You may also experience irritation to your eyes, nose, throat, skin, and lungs. Construction dust isn't just a nuisance; it can seriously damage your health and some types can even kill.
Therefore, regular breathing of these powders for a long time can cause life-changing lung diseases. Silicosis is a condition in which exposure to silica dust damages the lungs and affects the ability to breathe. There is no cure for it and it can be fatal, sometimes in just a few weeks or months. It usually appears many times after several years of exposure, but it can happen quickly if a lot of dust is inhaled.
Exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust during construction activities can cause serious or life-threatening respiratory diseases. Sometimes, dust particles may be too small to see, but fine enough to breathe in. Once inhaled, it can become embedded deep in the lungs, which can cause serious damage to health. Construction workers are at high risk of developing these diseases because many common construction tasks can create high levels of dust.
Samantha Wilding, director of health policy and public affairs at B&CE, says, in The Construction Index, that “81% of the 500,000 people who are exposed to silica dust at work are employed in the construction industry.
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