The disease from excessive exposure is ugly. Those afflicted with silicosis first feel a dry cough that can get progressively worse. Shortness of breath follows, at first only with exercise. Breathlessness may occur even when performing routine movements. Advanced stages of the disease result in death from a person's inability to breathe or just plain failure of the heart due to that organ's attempt to compensate for the damaged lungs.
Silicosis is an old disease that is still being diagnosed.
Thousands have already died from exposure to silica in foundries, quarries, mines and from construction activities. More recently, cancer has been associated with silica exposure. Those afflicted with silicosis, even those without any clear symptoms, are more prone to lung infection. Many die from infections, such as tuberculosis, without even knowing they had silicosis. State and federal standards determine the amount of silica dust that a worker may be exposed to in a typical eight-hour work shift.