Foreword

Article Outline

• Copyright

Silicosis is one of the major occupational lung diseases that has been documented for almost one hundred fifty years. First linked with mining (which still employs about 200,000 individuals in the United States), it is associated with several occupations within the construction industry (such as sandblasting), the coal industry (coal trimming involving loading or stowing coal for transport), graphite milling, and foundries. Several factors are involved in the development and morbidity associated with this pneumoconiosis: comorbid conditions, commodities or substance airborne exposure, exposure period, environmental conditions, and lifestyle. Silicosis may account for up to 300 deaths annually in the United States. Dr. Michael Greenberg and his associates present an important overview of this progressive lung disease with systemic implications.