Sampling The main hazard of exposure to mineral dusts is pneumoconiosis. When very fine dust particles are breathed, they can accumulate in the lungs, and this can result in disease. Tissue reactions such as fibrosis, or scarring, of lung tissue can result from the inhalation of certain dusts.
Pneumoconiosis is a general term for disease of the lungs caused by dusts.
There are many kinds of pneumoconiosis such as silicosis, siderosis, etc. Respirable dust consists of particles which are very fine in size, such that they can enter the inner most parts of the lungs. Respirable dust is not visible to the naked eye. The hazard of breathing mineral dust depends greatly on the composition of the dust, the concentration, particle size and duration of exposure. The presence of crystalline free silica, commonly called quartz, can cause silicosis, which a is disabling irreversible pneumoconiosis.