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silicosis
(sil″ĭ-ko´sis)
pneumoconiosis caused by the prolonged breathing in of silica dust, usually occurring as an occupational disease. Nowadays it is most likely to be contracted in such industrial jobs as sandblasting in tunnels and hardrock mining, but
it can occur in anyone who is habitually exposed to the dust contained in silica, which is one of the most common minerals on earth. Silicosis usually takes about 10 years of fairly constant exposure to
develop, and it may give few warning symptoms. An affected person experiences progressive shortness of breath; steady coughing
that is at first dry and unproductive but later may produce blood-tinged mucus; then loss of appetite, pain in the chest,
and general weakness. The silica produces fibrous nodules that scar the lungs, making them receptive to the further complications
of bronchitis and emphysema. adj., silicot´ic., adj.
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