Various Types of Pneumoconiosis
Pneumoconiosis MEANING Pneumoconiosis is a chronic lung disease caused due to the inhalation of various forms of dust particles, particularly in industrial workplaces, for an extended period of time. Hence it is also said to be an occupational lung disease, which are a particular subdivision of occupational related diseases that are related primarily to being exposed to harmful substances, whether they are gas or dusts, in the work place, and the pulmonary disorders that may result from it. The severity and type of pneumoconiosis depends on what the dust particles comprise of; for example, small amounts of certain substances, such as asbestos and silica, can lead to serious reactions, while others may not be as harmfulCoalworker's pneumoconiosis Various Types of Pneumoconiosis • The most common types of pneumoconiosis are: • coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, silicosis, • asbestosis. As is evident by their names, these pneumoconioses are caused due to the inhalation of coal mine dust, silica dust, and asbestos fibers. Usually, it takes several years for these pneumoconioses to develop and manifest themselves. However, sometimes, particularly with silicosis, it can develop quite rapidly, within a short period of being exposed to large amounts of silica dust. In their severe form, pneumoconioses often result in the impairment of the lungs, disability, and even untimely death. Asbestosis: This is caused due to the inhalation of fibrous minerals that asbestos is made of. The exposure begins with the baggers, who handle the asbestos by collecting them and packaging them, to workers that make products out of them such as insulation material, cement, and tiles, and people working in the shipbuilding industry, and construction workers.
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